


All's Fair in Love and Basketball

by yoimxxxxxx



Category: Naruto
Genre: Basketball, College, F/M, Friendship, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-27
Updated: 2013-07-09
Packaged: 2017-12-16 07:32:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 30,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/859523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yoimxxxxxx/pseuds/yoimxxxxxx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Naruto and Sasuke are the stars of Konohagakure University's basketball team. When Naruto is dating Neji, Sasuke's old friend from high school, and wants to bask in the attention that comes with popularity, Sasuke agrees to fill in for him. Soon, the Uchiha realizes that he's been harboring feelings for the Hyuga for the past two years, and that's when conflict begins. [Modern universe]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Pairing(s): Sasuke x Neji, Naruto x Neji, Naruto x various female characters.  
> Rating: T for slash (male x male), profanity, stereotypical college life, implications of sex

  
**All's Fair In Love and Basketball  
** **Prologue Part 1:** _The Change That Comes with Popularity..._   


The clock was set to a little under half a minute. The crowd was loud; audible boos and cheers mixed in the middle of the court for the according teams. It was the fourth quarter in the final game of the season; it was only a basket that stood in-between them and the championship trophy.

The Konoha High boys' basketball team had had a wonderful season sweeping the courts and taking scoreboards by storm. It was all thanks to the star duo tag team: Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha. Their teamwork was flawless; whenever one was in a tight spot and in desperate need of shot, the other was always there to bail that one out. It was as if they were on the same wavelength when it came to playing basketball. Maybe it came from the numerous years they had accumulated in a friendship.

The team had huddled on their side of the court in front of the bleachers; the plan was simple: run the clock down and give the ball to Naruto to make the winning shot. Simple, right? Yeah, you would think so until everyone on the opposing team made sure to keep a tight hold on the yellow, spiky haired male. The ball was held firmly in his grasp as he searched for a way to take the shot. Of course he would stand out; not only was he the MVP of the basketball noted in several news articles in his high school career, but also his sun kissed hair and piercing cerulean irises stood out like a sore thumb. He drew attention to himself, and with the clock running down meeting ten seconds with no room to break free, it was off to plan B: Sasuke Uchiha.

In an instant, Naruto met those deep onyx eyes and he smirked.  _Good timing as always_  he passed his best friend the ball as the clock hit five seconds. Sasuke skillfully caught it, turning quickly towards the goal ahead and taking a shot from the three-point line before anyone had a chance to guard. The ball flew towards the orange rim of the basketball hoop, meeting the circular frame and rolling around as eyes watched and breaths hitched. Three, two, one the clocked ticked down and as the buzzard sounded, the ball fell through the weaved netting.

The home side's cheers roared throughout the gymnasium as they all jumped to their feet- hands clapping, whistles being blown, and feet stomping against the bleachers creating a thundering sound. Cheerleaders waved their pompoms and kicked their legs as the basketball team rushed to the center of the court- hugging the Uchiha and Uzumaki males, shouting their team chant, and slapping palms together in high fives. After all their hard work and determination that season, they had done it. They had won themselves a championship.

**-xxx-**

The celebration had consisted of medals being awarded to each of the team members, a trophy being presented to the coach, pictures being snapped all around, and the offer of two scholarships to the two star players.

Returning to the locker room after the commotion had died down, Naruto and Sasuke opened their respective lockers, pulling their gym bags out for a water bottle and change of clothes.

"Man! I am so glad I found you for the shot, Sasuke," Naruto began talking as he pulled his sweaty jersey over his head. "We would have lost for sure if you weren't there. They had me swarmed!"

Sasuke was sitting on the bench with his upper body exposed; his jersey was already tossed in the bag and he was taking a sip from his water bottle, removing the container from his lips and running fingers through his drenched locks. "Well, I guess it's a good thing we're so in tune when it comes to this game. I already knew they were going to be after you; I made it a point to play on a low profile to keep them off my case." He let out a heavy exhale as the chilled liquid cooled his flushed body.

"Hell yeah it is! I don't know how many times you've saved me in tight spots like that," the joyful blonde replied, sitting on opposite side of the bench from his best friend. "And to think, we're going to be playing together all through college: me on a full-time basketball scholarship and you on a academic AND basketball one," he chuckled jumping to stand up and pulling the strap of his bag on his shoulder after pulling the white ribbed tank top onto his cooling flesh.

The older male stood to do the same after pulling his own tank top on. Both walked side by side back into the gym to go through the double exit doors. They were stopped along the way by parents, teachers, and the group of girls that made up their "fan club", given congratulations on their win and good wishes on their adventures at Konohagakure University. The praise was received humbly as both males smiled cheekily and shook hands giving modest remarks in response. The fan girls had asked them both to sign their autographs, claiming they wanted to be the first ones to say they had known the two when they make it big. Neither Naruto nor Sasuke had ever thought they would make it to a professional league. They played ball for fun, as a hobby; it was something they had both shared from age five of their friendship, something that kept them in tune with each other.

Finally getting the chance to exit the gym, they were met with the intensely radiating rays of the almost summer sun beaming down, and their eyes were narrowed, adjusting to the blaring light of outside. "Damn, it's hot out here," Sasuke stated the obvious as he brought a hand up to shield his abused eyelids to get a better view of the scene.

Naruto made the same motion of covering his eyelids, searching for the path that they would need to travel to take them back to their neighborhood. "It's already blazing, and we haven't even gotten into summer," he noted as the two began their walk. "This makes me not even want to think about coming out the house."

Sasuke scoffed, able to see clearly in the vibrant lights as they walked along the sidewalk. "You better make it a point to come out and play to keep your skills up. You can't get to university and suck ass on the court, because you ran away from a little heat."

Naruto's eyebrows furrowed as he was still trying to adjust. "Hey, you just watch, I'm still going to be as good as I am now. I'm in my prime!"

Sasuke placed his hands in his basketball shorts and looked ahead with that cool guy smirk he always wore. "Alright, Mr. Prime. Just make sure you keep this humility you have now, and remember the importance of practice."

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto brushed his best friend off, throwing his hands behind his head. "We're going to take that school by storm, watch. 'New freshman Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha'; the upperclassmen are so going to squirm," he chuckled, playing various scenes in his head of how the events would turn out.

"Humility...remember that."

"Oh, shut up, Mr. I'm the cool guy who always acts so high and mighty like a pompous jackass," the blonde bit back. "I got more humility than you do anytime."

"Hn, whatever you say, dobe."

**-One Year Later-**

It was the party at one of the player's house that had various people walking in small groups to it. Blaring music with the thumping bass of the top of the line sound system and the dimly lit basement set the mood for dry humping individuals engaging in an act they called "dancing". There was the alcohol smell that sifted through the air, and the pungent smell of cigarette smoke mixed with the subtle scent of mary jane that blew in with the night breeze. It was the guys thirstily trying to pick up girls who had their skirts hiked high and their necklines cut low. This was it; this was the college life, the college life that Naruto Uzumaki had grown accustomed to, especially being the star of Konohagakure University's basketball team.

The male carried the huge trophy the team had just won earlier that night on his shoulder with a red cup filled with liquor in his free hand. A few teammates were following behind him, all being a little more than tipsy. He was staggering himself, having had a few too many beers, and he wore a goofy grin on his face.

"Who is the flyest motherfucker in this building right now?!" he yelled, earning the yells of "chug, chug, chug" of his boys and squeals of his fan girls in response as he downed his cup. They flocked to him, holding onto his arm, pushing each other out of the way just to be next to the male. "Hey hey hey, ladies, there's plenty of me to go around," he boasted, placing the trophy down on the table beside him to throw his arms around the two women who managed to slip beside him.

"How are you two pretty ladies doing tonight?" he looked between them, sending each of them a wink as other girls went to latch onto his buddies behind the trio.

Rose color dusted each of the girl's cheeks from the devilish smirk Naruto was sending each of them, and when one of them tried to respond, she was silenced with a light touch of his index finger to her lips.

"Don't worry about answering; lets just start enjoying the night together now." It was as if she melted in his arms. He loved it, seeing the wide-eyed stares he'd get when acknowledging one of his fan girls whether it was giving a compliment or striking a conversation. Then, almost always, the swooning that came once he left after getting a number or playing the "I'll see you sometime" card; it did so much for his ego. Being the popular guy had its perks and being able to have any girl begging for his time, his touch, or his sex? It had to be on top of the list.

Upstairs on the second floor of the house where the lights were on and people stood around casually drinking from their cups and chatting was Sasuke Uchiha- the equally popular and good looking best friend of Naruto Uzumaki. Sasuke, unlike Naruto, didn't play into his popularity. That didn't matter to him; he had far more depth than his skills on the court and his looks to be big headed over the nonsense of horny, attention craved fan girls.

He was posted on a wall in the kitchen, observing the room in an attempt to drown out the noise coming from down below. Girls had come to him, asking if he wanted a drink or a dance, and he declined all requests, not being into alcohol like that and damn sure not wanting some broad rubbing her ass against his groin. There was no pleasure in being teased for him and if you were going to be making yourself look available, stroking him as such, you better be putting out. Not that he even fathomed sleeping with half the whores running through the halls of that place anyways; there was no telling who they had been with, or how many for that matter.

He sighed heavily, bringing his fingers up to rub at his temples in anticipation of leaving. He didn't even like coming to these parties; he had enough schoolwork to finish before upcoming finals to be wasting time in the mess, but why was he there? Naruto. In a matter of a year's time, the once humble and enthusiastic boy had managed to turn into the egotistical jock and it made Sasuke's inside churn. All the times he had to drag the shitfaced blonde into their campus apartment at ungodly hours of the night to the various people he would bring back to the place when he was trying to do his studies to the moaning of different females Naruto was fucking on a weekly basis coming through the walls when he was trying to get some rest. Sasuke threw his head back on to the wall holding him up, groaning in pain from the impact mixed with aggravation of his best friend's new found personality.

"God, why me?" he asked thinking aloud, unaware he was still in public. "What the hell happened to humility?"

"I don't know, Sasuke, what DID happen to humility?" a voice asked amusingly of the apparently distressed twenty year old male.

The voice sounded familiar, smooth and sultry, very light on the ears, and very soothing to a troubled soul. "Neji?" Sasuke's tone was surprised as he lowered his head and made eye contact with the long brunette haired, pale eyed male currently giving him a smirk.

"Long time, no see, huh?" Neji greeted giving Sasuke a one armed hug as his other one's hand was currently holding a cup.

"Man," Sasuke responded relieved finally having someone to talk to that wasn't belligerent or trying to get in his pants, "it has been a long time; how you been?"

"Well, schoolwork has been rigorous as always, and I'm pretty swamped before finals, but I would say I'm pretty good, otherwise."

Sasuke chuckled, folding his arms across his chest. "I wouldn't expect anything less from your class' valedictorian."

Neji rolled his eyes playfully at the title. The two males had had accelerated classes together in high school, although Neji had graduated a year earlier as he was a year older than the Uchiha.

"Well, I heard you were your class' salutatorian, so I'm assuming you're in the same boat as myself?" the silver eyed male stated, taking a sip from the cup he was holding in his hand.

"Yeah, that's me. Shikamaru ended up being valedictorian, despite his lazy and lethargic ways. I just couldn't compete," Sasuke threw his hands up before placing them back across his chest. Looking towards the red cup in the other's hand, he pointed, "You drink?"

Neji shook his head letting out a chuckle, "Just water. I don't even like alcohol; the shit smells like it singes anything it comes in contact with. Why would I want that sliding down my throat?" he winced.

"Tell me about it. I don't even like this whole party scene; I could really do without."

"I feel you, but I needed to get away from the work. It's always fun to come see people making fools of themselves, getting trashed, and finding out who slept with who and regretted it the next morning."

The two shared a laugh; this is why they got along famously in high school. They found the same things amusing, shared the same views on a lot of subjects, and could make fun out of any situation. They both looked at each other with a smile before Neji heard his named called in the distance.

"Well, I guess they are finally ready to go," he said, taking the last sip of the water in his cup before tossing the emptied container in a trash bag. "It was nice seeing you again. We should get together sometime."

Sasuke nodded in agreement before giving his former classmate a hug goodbye. "Hopefully I'll see you around campus."

"Likewise," Neji winked and turned on his heels to meet up with his friends to leave the party.

Sasuke watched as the male walked away from him. That was the one thing that had been consistent with Neji's personality for as long as he'd known him, he was charming. From his porcelain pale skin to the lengthy luscious brunette locks tied right at the nape of his ass to those pale silver tinted irises that sparkled in any light they met, and those soft pale pink lips that looked well moisturized, charming was the word for him- in looks, in personality, in speech.

The wandering of his thoughts about days spent in the classroom with the Hyuga were abruptly interrupted when all 145 pounds of Naruto came crashing down on his shoulder. The raven haired male flinched, shrugging his shoulders with an annoyed look gracing his face. "You wasted, loser, get up!"

"Sasuuuu" Naruto's words came out slurred as he lowered his head on his best friend's shoulder, "whooo wasat you were juswit?"

"What?!"

Naruto laughed at getting a rise out of Sasuke. "Who was that you were just with? She sure was attractive, like that exotic attractive. I need her on my arm."

"Obviously you're not as drunk as you're acting," Sasuke pushed Naruto off his shoulder, pulling his shirt outward to stretch out the wrinkles the blonde's chin had created.

"Yeah, I know I'm not...well, I am drunk, but we both know I can hold my liquor pretty well," and he was drinking more from the cup in his hand.

Sasuke scoffed. "With how much you've drank of the year, it's amazing your liver didn't say 'fuck you', and give out."

That made Naruto laugh loudly. His friend was such a killjoy it had become amusing over the years. "Anyways, yeah, so who was she? I seriously need her on my arm. Did you see how hot she was?"

"First of all that was a HE, and HIS name is Neji." The dumbfounded look on Naruto's face almost made Sasuke's stoic exterior crack...almost. "Yeah, so out of your league."

"Tha-that was a guy?!" His bold blue eyes were fixated intensely on the Uchiha male whose eyes were rolling in reaction to the "no shit, Sherlock" question he was just asked.

"Yes, Naruto...that was a guy."

The blonde male pondered on the subject for a few seconds, staring off into to space as if he were contemplating long and hard- probably trying to reason with himself that yes, he did just call Neji, who was a male, hot for his androgynous looks.

"Heh, you're feeling pretty stupid, hu-"

"I still want him on my arm."

Now it was Sasuke's look that did make Naruto burst into a fit of laughter. The dumbfounded, wide eyed, mouth slightly parted look as if he'd been hit by a truck. "What Sasuke? You surprised?"

"Bu-but you're not even into men..." Sasuke tried to reason with the male who was tipping the cup up to drink the last of its remains, ultimately with himself.

After finishing his drink and throwing his cup in the nearby garbage bag, Naruto stretched his lengthy arms and let out a heavy breath. "Sure, I'm not into men like that, but for Neji? I can try to be, right?" he asked absentmindedly as he was walking away to interact with others at the party.

The last line Naruto spoke to him still played in his head as he shook himself from his thoughts and settled back onto the wall, folding his arms across his chest and looking down. He could hear Naruto's raspy voice echoing from the basement boasting about himself and entertaining his ladies. "That idiot is out of his fucking mind," Sasuke closed his eyes and gave his signature smirk.

_Then again...he is drunk._

/End of Prologue Pt. 1.

 


	2. Chapter 2

  
**All's Fair in Love and Basketball  
Prologue Pt. 2: ** _The Act of Making a Good First Impression, or So You Hope..._   


The events of last night's rendezvous were long forgotten as the morning sun rays seeped between the blinds over the window, covering his room in a flamboyant "wake up, bitch, I'm here!" greeting. Naruto pulled the covers over his head trying to block out the annoying light as his head pounded viciously.

"A fucking hangover," he groaned, placing his palm to his forward with taut brows. The sunlight still filtered through the weaving of his blanket and he resorted to smothering himself under the concaved pillow his head had been resting on for probably three hours.

So lost in the rhythmic thumps wracking within the confines of his mind, the twenty year old freshman hardly noticed the dip in his mattress caressing the warmth of another life form that slumbered next to him. He took a quick peek through the small opening his pillow left for his breathing taking in the image of bare perky breast rising and falling with every breath of the woman. The covers that shielded her lower half lay right beneath her belly button; her right leg was exposed as the sheet curved under the thigh.

"So we fucked?" he thought aloud, mentally undressing the covered part of the woman's body trying desperately to remember just what had happened a few hours ago.

A breathy "mhm" was given in response as the woman stretched her slim body, from the tips of her fingers down to her toes before rolling over, her back now facing the blonde male and the covers resting against the nape of her ass showing the smallest sliver of her crack.

_God, she is sexy_ he noted, taking in the soft angelic appearance the woman's slightly tanned skin gave off meeting with the filtered lighting. His eyes ran along the feminine curves of her side as she snuggled into his pillow, basking in the scent of his cologne that had taken refuge in the cotton from his use.

He removed the pillow from his face to once again face the light he would inevitably have to confront soon. He stared into the ceiling as if in a deep trance, tuning out the pounding in his skull trying to recall last night.

"Game...party...drinking...females...Neji...Neji?" and suddenly his thoughts were filled with the exotic features of the male Sasuke had conversed with last night. He thought about those pale orbs that captivated him in ways a pair of greens or blues as bright as his never would; especially with him being in an intoxicated state upon first seeing them. Compared to Neji's, those colors were normal, and Naruto Uzumaki was always attracted to abnormally beautiful things.

And then he thought about Sasuke and the connection the raven haired Uchiha had with the stunning male, the connection that would ultimately hook him up. He eased himself out of bed, careful not to wake the peaceful platinum blonde haired beauty from her sleep, the one he had romped with probably only four hours ago.

He pulled discarded sweats over his exposed lower half, slightly hanging off his hip and slowly walked towards his bedroom door, twisting the knob and pulling the door open gently to minimize the creak at the hinges. He had gone through and closed the door just as quietly as he had opened it before letting out a breath of relief and reaching his arms up to stretch his stiffened back.

"Man, that was a close one-"

"You had sex with her, didn't you?" deep black irises burned into the skin of his back and that all knowing tone caused Naruto to freeze. Goosebumps spread across his exposed flesh.

Dammit! He cursed mentally before turning a nervous grin towards the waiting Uchiha male whose eyes were narrowed in his direction. "I have no idea what you're talking about-"

"Save it," Sasuke interrupted, turning his gaze away from his idiot of a best friend and back to the essay he had to turn in the following morning. "All I have to say is I hope you're using condoms. God forbid you walk in here with the clap or crabs or whatever the hell else could be festering in these women you keep bringing here."

Naruto laughed at his roommate of a two bedroom apartment, walking towards the black leather sofa, plopping down, and grabbing the remote from the black wooden table in front of him. "You're just mad, because you're not getting any ass," he teased, flipping through the channels and stopping on Sports Center.

"Hn," Sasuke brushed him off as his fingers gild swiftly across the keys of his Macbook as he typed his essay. "Lets not forget I get just as much attention as you, but unlike your dumbass, I have better things to do with my time to be chancing things with these broads."

"Yeah, like be a stuck up prude who only indulges in his schoolwork?"

Not even sparing a glance towards the male, Sasuke kept his focus on his paper. "And may I ask what your grades are looking like Uzumaki? Last time I checked, we're supposed to be sophomores when finals are over, but how many credits are you behind?"

"Hey! At least I'm passing."

"With minimal scores, right?"

"Shut the fuck up, dude."

Sasuke grinned. "Well what do you expect from a prude, huh?" And from the looks of the now tensed blonde sitting beside him on the couch, it had gotten to him...as always. That damn Sasuke; it was always his sarcastic comments and witty smartass remarks that always lit every nerve in Naruto's body on fire.

They sat in silence for a moment, save the clicking of the keyboard and the low voice of the announcer relaying the scores of the basketball finals series. The heat in Naruto's ears had cooled down and the steady clicking settled as the raven haired male proofread his essay. Naruto rose from the couch- walking into the kitchen. Opening the fridge, he pulled out the carton of orange juice on the top shelf; it was his personal carton.

"So when you gonna hook me up with Neji?"

"When pigs fucking fly-"

"Dammit, Sasuke!" the younger male shouted as the fridge door slammed shut; the cereal boxes on top threatened to fall over from the shaking force. "I'm being serious!"

Sasuke pulled his fingers away from the keyboard to crack them simultaneously; he peeled his gaze from the screen and to the tall naked from the waist up man with the orange juice carton turned upwards against his lips.

"Naruto, why are you asking me to hook you up with a male when you aren't into men?"

The man in question removed the emptied carton from his lips, licking the outside of the tangy goodness before placing it on the counter and letting out a large belch...a belch to which Sasuke cringed.

"I told you, I could grow to be into him right? I mean, he's hot, and he interests me so I want him. Simple as that."

The raven haired male looked unbelievingly at his friend who was now leaning over the counter top on his forearms, rocking back and forth on his heels waiting for a response.

An exasperated sigh escaped between Sasuke's lips as he rubbed his forehead in the space between his thumb and index finger. "Surely you can't be that narrow minded to think just because Neji is an attractive male and you assume that you are...that you two should be together. Especially when, I'll restate this- YOU AREN'T INTO MEN!"

"That's exactly how I feel about it. Why shouldn't two good looking people be together, right? And I want you to set us up."

Sasuke blinked owlishly at the man who was brightly smiling at him across the room. This idiot couldn't be serious, could he?

"So..."

"Not interested."

"Wait, but why?!"

"Because," the Uchiha was back to typing his paper after having noted all the places where revisions needed to occur, "like I said, not interested."

"Oh, come on, Sasuke!" The blonde male pushed himself off the counter and walked back into the living room. He went on the other side of his best friend who was quickly pecking away at the keyboard. His lips were pursed and his eyebrows were furrowed as he concentrated. "You're going to make me do it..."

"Naruto, I don't have time for-"

And before he knew it, Naruto was on his knees in that prayer position with his hands clasped together in front of his chest. His bright blue eyes were wide with saddened brows and his pale pink lips were formed into a serious pout. "Please?" he begged softly.

"Naruto..."

And he inched closer to the typing male. "Pleeeaseee?"

"Oh, my god, Naruto..."

Another inch closer, and Naruto's upper body was settled in-between Sasuke's thighs with his arms wrapped around his waist and his nose pressed into the cotton fabric covering his lean frame. "Please, please, please, please, pleeeaseee!" he nuzzled his nose along the ripples of Sasuke's abs beneath his shirt, and the Uchiha rolled his eyes.

For as long as he could remember, whenever the dobe would want Sasuke to do something for him and he was adamant in his refusal, he would resort to this, nuzzling different areas of Sasuke's body like a baby kitten begging for his owner's attention. He tried to refuse, tried to stay firm in his denial, but the act was so cute, and now it was comforting how it reminded him that although Naruto's exterior showed this egotistical jackass he was beginning to despise, that deep down, he was still the same old Naruto he had know for the past fifteen years, his best friend.

The nuzzling ate away at the raven haired male and he finally cracked, the light touches from Naruto's nose poking through the fabric tickled his smooth skin. "Fine...I'll hook you two up."

"Yes!" Naruto stopped his nuzzling, looking up at the straight faced Uchiha with a smile.

The moment was interrupted with a creak of the door to Naruto's room. The still sleepy woman stepped into the frame, groggily rubbing her eyes and letting out a yawn. Her body was still naked, but the sheet she held clutched absentmindedly in her fist kept her most womanly asset covered.

"Naru, baby, I'm hungry."

Sasuke frowned down at the male who was still holding his waist with his eyes closed and a crooked smile plastered in the center of his face. "You're in way over your head...WAY in."

**-xxx-**

The walk to the other side of campus was tiresome, especially with the smoldering heat of June beating at the back of their necks as they crossed the traffic less courtyard. Everyone had been preparing for finals, and even though some were sitting on the prickly green grass with books wide open, gritting teeth, or looking as if they were going to pull hairs from their head, most conjugated in the same building, the library.

That was where Sasuke had suggested Naruto look for the pale eyed male as he tried to continue with his paper, but of course, being the idiot the blonde was, it was only expected that older male would receive a "where's that?" in response. With a groan, a click of the "save" icon, and a close of his laptop, Sasuke agreed to accompany the desperate man to his destination. God forbid he started nuzzling him again, once a day was enough.

Upon reaching the tall glass building that read "Konohagakure University Library" engraved in the marble slab out front, they walked through the automatic doors and up the staircase into the library. Shelves ran along the walls in the round building that consisted of multiple floors; the center was hollow, showing each section you could possibly go to on your travel upward in the five-story building.

Each of the floors was dedicated to a certain genre on either side and Naruto had not even the slightest clue where to find his target.

"So...where do I go?" he asked, looking around the bottom floor to see if Neji was possibly...hopefully in plain sight.

"My best bet would be the literature section," the Uchiha answered, folding his arms across his chest also looking around for the Hyuga.

Judging from the deer in headlights look on Naruto's face, Sasuke let out a heavy sigh. "Third floor, left side." Even though he was given a "got it" in response as the blonde male faced in the opposite direction of him, the reluctance of his movements gave it away, he ALSO didn't know where the elevator was. Figures...

Sasuke pointed in the direction of the staircase, calling it "punishment" for him not knowing anything about the building he should have spent most of his time in, especially with his grades.

The tall man with his sun colored hair gave one of the bright, goofy smiles before walking in the direction his friend had pointed him to. It was quite the trip going up the spiral staircase, and upon reaching his floor, Naruto stopped, holding a hand to his chest to catch his breath. Why couldn't Sasuke just point him towards the elevator, he wondered as his calves began to tense and radiate. He shouldn't have felt as if he were so out of shape when he had practically lived on the court, but it was something about steadily going up that staircase that put his body in a compromising state. Nervousness? Apprehension, maybe? The thought was shaken at his first glance up upon stepping forward onto the carpet floor, Neji Hyuga.

He looked so fixated on the book he was reading in front of him. A notebook, a few scattered papers, and different colored ink pens littered the space around him. A few strands of the shorter pieces of his hair that framed his face fell in front of his eyes, and he was leaning forward, holding himself up with the arms propped up at the elbow atop the mahogany colored furniture. The fist he held was smashed into his cheek slightly distorting his features, and Naruto chuckled at the sight.

_Your best bet would be just to go up to him and introduce yourself in a dignified and confident manner. If anything, you better come correct, and make sure not to say anything stupid, dobe_  the spiky haired male remembered his buzzkill friend saying, but that wasn't going to work. It was on to his plan: walk to a bookshelf, grab a smart sounding book, and sit next to him. Surely that would be enough convincing, right?

Wrong.

After taking a seat in front of the pale eyed male and opening the book, his eyes were wide and a bottom lip was bit as his hand was placed palm against his forehead.

Neji, noticing another presence gracing him, only moved his eyes to look at the flustered man sitting across from him. "Um...are you okay?"

"Huh?" Naruto asked, meeting pearl irises with a face twisted in confusion.

"I asked if you were alright. You look kind of..." Neji paused, examining the man's disposition, "troubled."

"Pfft, what would I have to be troubled about?"

An amused smirk crept on to Neji's thin lips as he still held his face up with fist. Who did this kid think he was fooling? He knew who the cerulean eyed male was, and he knew his kind; he was the jock who probably was doing terrible in school and came to him looking for a handout. As if.

"I read the Od-oh...dy...-"

"Odyssey?" Neji helped the stuttering blonde finish the word he was desperately trying to pronounce.

Naruto placed a hand behind his head, rubbing the back of his neck with a weak version of his signature smile. "I was just teasing! I knew that was the Odyssey, I just wanted to test you."

A brunette eyebrow arched at the cover-up. "Righht," he lifted his head up and placed his arm along the table, clasping his hands against the wooden surface as he leaned forward even more, staring the man straight in the eyes. "Look, I know who you are Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto's eyes blinked in anticipation. "You're the big guy here on campus; the freshman who brought home a championship, and everybody is talking about it. Now that it's the end of the season, coursework and finals are due in the next few days so you've come looking for me to help you with it, because if not, you're going to lose that cushy little scholarship of yours, am I right?"

_Damn,_  Naruto thought to himself, _Sasuke wasn't playing; this guy is ruthless!_

It was silent for a good three seconds before Neji smirked, looking towards the pages in his book as he flipped through and picking a pen up to write notes. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a thesis to finish-"

"Actually, I came here to talk to you," and the statement drew Neji's attention right back to the man who was now sitting with his back straight and a rather stern look on his face.

"What?"

"I came to talk to you."

"About...what?"

"About you. About me...about an us?"

Neji let out a breath as this forward expression intrigued him. "About an...us?" A nod of Naruto's head. "Surely, you're joking. What would a rising junior like myself look like with a freshman?"

Naruto leaned forward; his smirk twitched with mischievousness as sea blue irises peered into shimmering white. "Well lucky for me, you're only one year older, right? Who the hell cares about a class?"

"Uhhuhhh," Neji nibbled at his bottom lip trying to bite back his half sided smile at the confidence the man in front of him was exuding. He leaned back into his chair; his long chocolate hair draped over his shoulders and he pushed the shorter strands behind his ear before folding his arms across his chest. "So what are you suggesting, Uzumaki?"

"How about a date?"

"A date?"

"A date."

The Hyuga pondered on the thought, looking downward while shaking his head and letting out a soft chuckle. "Alright, Naruto. I'll tell you this-" and he pulled himself forward to where he was only a few inches in front of the blonde haired male. The minty scent of his breath could be sniffed in the close proximity, "you take me out on a worthy date, something that is just going to keep me thoroughly entertained for the night and I'll take you seriously about this dating thing. Deal?"

Naruto licked his drying bottom lip with that hiked brow and a lustful look brewing in his blue eyes. "Deal."

"Heh," the brunette beauty rose from his chair, gathering his papers and pens and closing the book in front of him. He grabbed his messenger bag hanging on the back of his chair and slung it over his shoulder after putting the contents in his arms into it. The weight of the bag slightly tugged at this white v-neck shirt, pressing the material against his upper body and showing the definition of his collar bone along with the ripples in various spots of his torso. From the looks of it, Naruto could tell that the Hyuga was very fit- toned, defined, and thin; a much softer appearance than his own figure which was a little bulkier and cut.

Watching as Neji walked in the direction of the elevator, Sasuke appeared behind him. His hands were placed in his pockets as they normally were in his stride with that uninterested look he always wore.

"So, how'd it go?"

"I made an idiot of myself..."

"Hn, figures-"

"But I got a date."

The Uchiha's eyebrows rose in surprise that his old friend actual took Naruto's bait. "So, where you taking him?"

The tanned male turned towards his friend with a slanted mouth, and he didn't even have to say anything before Sasuke rolled his eyes and let out a heavy breath. "Fine...I'll think of something."

**-The Following Friday-**

Finals had ended, grades had been posted, and all you could hear was the sound of bass rumbling throughout the complex with loud chatting of drunken students, praising the semester being over or cursing teachers for flunking them as if they could hear.

Sasuke was posted in his room, sitting against the wall with a book in his hand. The television had been on, but the volume was at zero as the light it emitted acted as white noise to him. He looked up briefly to check the ticking clock across the room from him. "One thirty," he spoke out loud, wondering just what his blonde friend could be doing at the time in the morning. Maybe the date with Neji had ended quickly, and Naruto's way of sulking was hooking up with one of his hoes. There was no way Naruto could have impressed Neji, especially at the raven's suggestion of taking him to an open mic night at a local jazz spot and the blonde groaned in dread.

He shook his head, turning his attention back to his reading when the entrance door to the apartment shut closed.  _He's back, and he's probably going to tell me what a waste of time it was._

The room to his door creaked open, and a head topped with ruffled blonde hairs peeked around. "I'm back."

"I can see," Sasuke sarcastically commented, putting his book into his lap before looking at his friend. "So, how was your night?"

Naruto pulled the rest of his body through the doorway into the Uchiha's indie band poster covered domain and took a seat at his desk; the front of his body met the back of the chair, and he rested his chin atop it. "It went...really well."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, he was really impressed that I took him to such a nice place. He said he was expecting maybe a movie or even possibly a party, but the jazz spot really took him by surprise."

The raven rested his head against the wall and cocked his head to the side as he attentively listened to the man in his room- nodding his head as a signal for him to continue. "Well, did you enjoy yourself?"

"Yeah, I did. Neji may be a little pompous and intimidating upfront, but he's so friendly and personable when he's doing something he's interested in. It's like, that iron exterior just melts away. I didn't know the guy even had a sense of humor. He's hilarious."

"Good old Neji Hyuga, I tell you."

Naruto stood up, stretching his long body as he yawned before walking towards the door to exit the Uchiha's room. "We're going on another date; he insisted." He placed his hand on the knob pulling the door wide open and stepping through. "Looks like I'm going to get him after all. Goodnight, Sasuke."

A goodnight was received in response as he closed the door behind him, and after his retreat, Sasuke looked up to the ceiling. The top of his head slid along the wall pushing strands of his midnight blue hair over his eyelids.

_Naruto actually got to Neji, huh? Just what the hell is going on..._

/End of Prologue Pt. 2

 


	3. Chapter 3

**All's Fair in Love and Basketball**  
 **Chapter 1:** _Just When You Thought Being a Third Wheel was a Bad Thing..._

The sound of basketballs meeting the floor as they were dribbled, the squeaking of sneakers sliding along the slick surface, and random yells of "BALL, BALL" bounced off the walls of the gymnasium. It was two days before the start of the new season, and the guys of the basketball team sweated heavily and heaved as the ran up and down the courts. Conditioning was a bitch after a nice off season, where summer was filled with vacations, trips back to home towns, or just loafing around the dorms catching up on sleep lost during the last year.

A whistle blew loudly, and the tall, fair skinned coach with spiky silver hair and three fourths of his face covered called "alright, bring it in!" to his team for a huddle. The guys stopped their sprints, turning in the direction of the coach in the middle of the court. Hands grasped at chests as heavy pants escaped, and they hustled as the silver haired male waved them over.

"Alright, team," Coach Hatake began as his players finally reached him, "conditioning has been going good, and I believe you guys are in great shape. Our first game is this Saturday, so I'm going to need you all to rest up beforehand. We're gonna have a good season, right?" The players nodded in agreement to their coach and put their hands in the middle to say a chant on the count of three.

After breaking from the huddle, the teammates trudged slowly towards the locker room, spent from the strenuous workout. Shirts lifted over heads as some disrobed themselves for a quick shower and chatter began to fill the room. Naruto was sitting on the bench, taking a long chug of his refreshing water from his bottle; he ruffled his fingers through sweaty blonde tresses and let out a relieving sigh as his body was cooled.

"Ah, Naruto, you ready for the season?" a guy with a crop of messy brunette locks and two red fangs marks on either side of his cheek called to him.

"You know it, bro," the blonde responded, pulling his shirt over his head.

"I'm pretty stoked about it to," the brunette being Kiba replied, removing his own shirt and throwing it in his gym bag. "Last year was so damn awesome, I can't wait to see what we got going this year."

"I'm pretty sure we're gonna bust ass this year, too," a teammate with spiky ebony locks and thick black recreational specs chimed in next to Naruto. "You see how practice has been going these past few weeks? Definitely got this on lock."

"And you know with great games means great parties afterwarrrd," Kiba rolled his pointed fingers at the two males in front of him. "Oh man, I'm so looking forward to that, too," he sat next to the blonde after getting his bag out his locker and began rummaging through it's contents. "One year older, another year of refined skills, and older women. Yes!"

"Kiba, I don't think you're going to be getting any play," Shino shot the brunette down as he wrapped a towel around his waist. "You know Naruto is the player around here."

Kiba scoffed, finding the deodorant he had been searching for in his bag. "Yeah right, this jerk is a chained man."

Naruto let out a chuckle at the label the fang marked male gave him. "Why do I have to be chained, dude?"

"Bro, you're like whipped!" the brunette exclaimed, throwing his bag in his locker and standing up. "You don't even go out with us anymore, because you're always with him."

"How is your relationship going anyways, Naruto?" Shino asked, pulling a shower cap over his head as he did not like to mess up the perfect form of his spikes. He also didn't like streams of gunky hair gel sliding down his skin as he was trying to bathe either.

"It's been going rather well, actually. Neji is awesome; he's smart, he's funny, and not to mention he's hot as fuck, so I mean: why would it be going otherwise?"

As Naruto explained his wonderful relationship of six months to his teammates, Sasuke had walked into the room with steam evaporating from his ivory skin. His raven hairs trickled beads of water from getting wet during his shower, and his feet made light slapping sounds as the moistened appendages met the tiled floor in his stride.

_Wonderful relationship,_  he thought to himself, reaching his locker and twisting the lock.  _Wonderful because of me._ In the past months, Sasuke had planned everything Naruto and his boyfriend did for their dates and even booked things for their trip they took during the summer; it was as if he was in the relationship himself, minus actually experiencing it first hand. The raven became irritated as Naruto ranted, and he started continuously missing a number in his combination trying to open the lock. He let out a growl absentmindedly, causing all the attention on Naruto to focus on him in question.

"What?" he asked looking at the pairs of eyes staring at him confused. "I messed up my combination; big whoop."

As Sasuke turned back to his locker, the guys went back to their previous doings, and Naruto noticed the time.

"Speaking of Neji, I forgot I have a date with him in an hour." The blonde jumped up, pulling his gym bag over his shoulder and slamming his locker shut before turning for the exit. "I'll catch up with you guys later."

As he began to walk out the locker room, not noticing Kiba yelling "SEE! He's leaving us again!" or Shino telling his fellow teammate to stop bitching, because he doesn't have anybody, Naruto stopped facing Sasuke who was still fighting with his lock.

"Dammit, why do my fingers keep slipping-"

"Sasuke," Naruto called the naked grumbling male dripping wet with only a towel covering him.

"What, dobe?"

"I'm going out with Neji tonight. I may not be home for a while, so don't wait up for me or anything."

"Hn," the raven responded, finally getting the combination right hearing the lock "click". "Guess it's going to be an empty apartment then. I got a project to work on, so I'm pulling an all nighter."

"Damn, that sucks," the blonde replied, readjusting the strap on his shoulder and placing his hands in his pockets. "I'll see you later then."

"Likewise," Sasuke stated pulling fresh clothes from the metal box as his friend walked away. Clean clothes, grab a bite to eat, and straight to the library were his plans for the rest of the day. Hopefully he would get done at a decent enough hour to get home and dive in his bed from some much needed rest. He wasn't counting on it, but seeing Naruto was most likely going to be staying with his boyfriend for the night, maybe he could arrange it to happen.

 

 

**xxx**

Sasuke stumbled up the stairs to his apartment floor as heavily weighted bags threatened to shut his eyelids. "Two thirty in the damn morning," he groaned having to use so much energy he didn't have to drag his body weight up the steps. "I should have started this project sooner; this no sleep shit is killing me."

Reaching the top of the steps, he paused a minute bringing his hand over his mouth as he let out a huge yawn. He was exhausted; three hours of basketball practice, eight hours arguing with group mates about what the topic for their Biology project was going to be, another hour of pushing off fangirls, and not to mention he was already running off only five hours of sleep that day? Yeah, he only thought about the glorious bed waiting for him at the other end of the hall.

Moving down the hall, he came to his apartment, reaching in his jacket pocket to grab his key. As he placed the key into the lock, he stopped, listening as he heard a voice crying from the other side.  _What the-_  he questioned, focusing on the tone of the voice he was hearing.  _Is that Neji?_  A low gruff voice sounded afterward, and when the crying grew louder, his eyes got wide.  _I wonder what's wrong with him,_  he turned the key, twisting it along with the knob and pushing forward.

The door swung open and a wide eyed Sasuke was in mid rush when he was met with the male in question. Neji was on the floor; his long cocoa tresses were sprawled along the carpeted surface as the blonde haired male straddled him. Naruto had the older male's hands pinned over his head, and the brunette male thrashed underneath him as tanned fingers wriggled against his side.

"Stop it, Naruto!" the Hyuga cried, kicking his feet and rocking his body in a struggle to break free.

"I told you I was going to get you back," the blonde smirked as he continued to torture his boyfriend with his digits.

The raven haired male stood in the doorway, straight faced. His panicked baggy eyes narrowed to a point you where you didn't even know if they were opened, and his pale lips were pressed into a thin line as he watched the scene in front of him.  _So he brought him back here...and he's tickling him_ , the raven thought, grinding his teeth along his bottom lip. The last thing he needed was to be disturbed by a late night rendezvous between the two. He wanted nothing more than to crash underneath icy covers and sleep until the next season; he already had to settle for only a couple of hours, couldn't he at least get that in peace?

In the midst of his tickling, Naruto looked towards the door, noticing it was wide open and a figure was standing there. "Didn't know you were coming back," he greeted, placing his tickling hand to the floor next to his boyfriend.

The brunette tilted his head back to look at the male standing behind him. "Oh hi, Sasuke," he smiled to the raven who only glared at them both.

"...Hi."

"I hope you don't mind that Neji is staying over. Our date ended early, and since you said you weren't coming back, I brought him here." Naruto looked at the male underneath him, bringing his free hand up to rake through the long locks. "Your hair is so silky; I love it."

"Thanks, love," Neji stated, looking back to the blonde haired male and placing a quick kiss to his forehead.

The act received an unintentional roll of Sasuke's eyes. He was beginning to loathe seeing the two of them together; six months ago, Neji had been nothing more than a prize to Naruto, and yet now, he wanted to be the lovey dovey faithful boyfriend type? Yeah right; had it not been for the raven haired male, the dobe probably wouldn't have gotten to a first date. Hell, he wouldn't have even gotten past the ASKING of a first date. He didn't understand it, and the thought just continued irk his nerves every time a moment like this would happen.

"Did you hear me?" the raven was snapped out of his thoughts when that smooth as honey voice floated into the air. He met silver irises belonging to Naruto's boyfriend as he looked above his head again at him.

"You asked something?"

"Yeah, I asked if you wanted to come out with us tomorrow?" Neji restated his unheard question.

"Um, I don't know..."

"Come on, Sasuke!" Naruto shouted, climbing off Neji so the brunette could sit up. "You are always doing schoolwork; just have fun for once!"

The blonde's boyfriend sat up, taking the hand offered to him to stand up and twist his sore body to relieve tension. "It would be fun," he assured, stretching his arms up and clutching his hands for his knuckles to crack.

"Yeah, I have this project I have to finish, so I don't think I'll be able to," Sasuke closed the entrance door behind him before walking past the couple in the direction of his room. "Maybe another time."

With an open and click of his room door, Sasuke threw his bag into the closet, kicked off his shoes, and flopped into his plushy covers. Man, did it feel good to be in his bed; his nose was buried in the comforter, and his body seemed as if it melded with the padded mattress as it engulfed him. This was what he had been waiting on, and thank the heavens he didn't have to wake up early for anything the next morning being that a good amount of his project got completed earlier.

He inhaled the fresh linen scent of his cleaned bedding, and his mind began to wander to a field of cotton; his body laid on top of the white balls of fluff that began to lift him from the grasses into the air.  _Clouds,_  he spoke aloud with his eyes closed and a grin on his face.  _Sweet, comfortable clouds._

The clouds floated along in a deep blue sky, rocking him back and forth in a comforting motion. He felt himself become calmed; his heart's pace began to slow down, and the weight of his tired body lifted as he settled off into snoozeville.

Then there was a knock at his door, and the harsh sound of knuckles meeting wood caused his eyes to shoot open. Red lines became visible on the whites of his eyes, and his lips pursed as heavy streams of air pushed threw his nostrils.  _What the fuck do you want, Naruto!_ He sat up, snapping his head towards the door as it opened.

As he was about to curse his roommate for invading his space and ruining his sleep, the chocolate tendrils swayed in between the crack of the door as Neji peaked his head inside. "Can I come in?"

Sasuke's expression softened as the older male walked into the room, closing the door behind him and moving towards the chair of his desk. "Did I disturb you?" he asked, taking a seat, looking at the worn-out Uchiha.

"Oh...no, I wasn't doing anything." The raven got up from his bed remembering he still had clothes he needed to take off before really being able to sleep. As Neji sat at his desk tying his hair back into a ponytail, Sasuke went into his walk in closet to strip down and put on his linen pajama pants.

"So how's school been going?" the brunette asked after getting his lengthy locks into the ponytail holder. "How's being a sophomore working for you?"

"It's alright," Sasuke called from the closet, putting his clothes into his hamper. "The workload is a bitch, but other than that, it's pretty alright."

"Hn, it seems like schoolwork takes over majority of both our lives."

"Yeah well," the half naked male stepped out of the closet, closing the door behind him and crawling back in his bed, "it'll pay off in the long run."

"Right."

From the look in Neji's eyes, Sasuke could tell something was bothering him. Not only the concern brewing within those stunning pearl orbs, but his disposition as well. He seemed...uncomfortable, and it made the raven haired male feel a little wary himself. "Is something wrong?"

"Huh?" Neji looked into onyx irises, noting the nice build the Uchiha male had as he sat there shirtless. "Nothing's wrong with me."

"You sure?"

"Well...," the brunette was hesitant with answering, and Sasuke sat with his back against the wall, resting his head on the off white colored surface and titled his head slightly as he waited. "I guess I've been kind of concerned about you lately. It seems like the more Naruto and I are around you, the more distant you become. I don't know if it's intentional or not, but it's just something I've observed."

The younger male's lips slanted a little looking at the Hyuga.  _Distant?_  He questioned, trying to recollect his actions over the past few months. "I...didn't notice."

"Yeah," Neji began to rock on the legs of the chair, "I was hoping that I wasn't imposing on you all's friendship. I mean, you two have been inseparable for the past, what, fifteen years? I would hate to come in and all of a sudden ruin that."

Sasuke shook is head, relaying to the older male that there was nothing for him to worry about. If anything, it was Naruto's egotistical habits that was going to deter their friendship, but since he had been with Neji, that threat became null. "If anything, it's great that you're around. The doof is into his schoolwork, has his shit together, and ultimately more enjoyable to be around; well, even if you aren't here as well."

"Good," the brunette responded, giving a smile before standing up. He walked to the Uchiha's bedside, placing his elbows on the mattress and resting his face in his palms. "You know, I would really love it if you came with us tomorrow," he directed at the Uchiha as his elbows sunk into the mattress.

"Aren't you all going to be on a date?"

Neji snickered, putting a finger to the back of Sasuke's hand on the bed and tracing patterns on the skin. "There is no third wheel cast for the outing," the brunette replied, looking up into onyx irises. "We're just going to have fun, that's all."

Sasuke looked at the alabaster skin male in front of him whose lengthy dark chocolate tresses cascaded down his slender frame. Neji was his friend before he became Naruto's boyfriend, so why shouldn't they hang out? The raven let out a heavy breath and agreed to the outing with Naruto and Neji, causing the brunette to smile widely as he stood up.

"Great! We'll see you when we wake up," the Hyuga noted, telling Sasuke goodnight before exiting the room.

The raven pressed his head harder against the wall, sighing and letting out another yawn.  _There's no third wheel cast, huh?_  He laid down, pulling the covers over his head and reaching from under them to turn off his lamp.  _I wonder if one just got cast for that role...shit._

 

 

**-Eight Hours Later-**

Sun seeping through the cracks of his closed eyelids signaled to Sasuke it was the next day. He turned his head away from the window in an attempt to block out some of the lighting, but the vibrant cast of bright white reflected beautifully off the walls of his room; in other words, there was no hiding.

Sasuke blinked as he awaken, picking his head up slightly to look at the clock on his wall. "Eleven thirty," he spoke, dropping his head back to his pillow and letting out a sigh. "Guess I got more sleep than I expected."

He stretched his arms out, pushing himself up on the mattress to get a good full body stretch. With an exhale, he released his arm, plopping back onto the covers and throwing his legs over the side. He really didn't feel like getting up; although he had gotten a decent amount of rest, it still wasn't an entire seasons worth like he had wanted.

Sasuke sat on his bed hunched over, shaking messy raven locks on top of his head and dragging his hands down his face as he yawned. A smell whisked through the air as he sat there, and the sweetness of it made him curious enough to get out of his bed. He sauntered over to the door, twisting the knob to pull it open, and the scent of cinnamon thickened as he pushed forward into the living room.

"Well good morning, sunshine," Neji greeted the dragging raven male, flipping something in the pan. "I hope you like french toast, cause with you two having barely anything in this kitchen, it's all I could think of with what I found." Sasuke took a seat at the high top table in the living room as the brunette haired male emptied the contents of the pan onto a plate and brought it to him along with a bottle of syrup.

The younger male took in the delicious spicy aroma coming from the plate and noted how evenly toasted each piece of his breakfast looked; his stomach began to growl at the tempting sight, and his mouth began to water. Drizzling a nice amount of syrup over toast and picking up a fork, Sasuke took a bite of his meal and hummed in approval for it tasting just as good as it looked.

"Do you do everything perfect?" he asked the male sitting across from him who was prepping his own breakfast.

Neji chuckled, picking the syrup up and pouring a liberal amount onto his plate. "I wouldn't say perfect."

"No, this is truly is perfect. I haven't had a meal like this in ages," the raven responded, devouring his french toast.

"Well, you don't really have time for a home cooked meal," the brunette began to cut into his food. "If you want, I could possibly cook for you every few days or so during a week?"

Sasuke stopped mid bite, looking up from his plate with his mouth slightly open. His onyx eyes met pearls as the older male chuckled at the stunned look on the others face. "You would do that for me?" he asked with chewed pieces of french toast swishing around his mouth.

"Yeah, I don't mind," the brunette smiled, taking his first bite.

The raven shut his mouth, swallowing his food as the other male continued eating. "Thanks," he said and began to finish his meal. "Where's Naruto?" he remembered his roommate who would have for sure been sharing this moment with them as he did not like to miss meals.

"He had somewhere to go. Looks like it'll be the two of us today."

"Oh," Sasuke stopped mid bite, "what are we going to do?"

Neji put down his fork, reaching to his glass of water to take a sip. "Since Naruto has expressed a hate for the sport, I thought we could go play tennis."

"Tennis?" the raven asked, lifting a brow and placing his utensil on the table. "Since when do you play tennis?"

"Since I was ten," the brunette responded, putting his used napkin over his empty plate. "How else do you think I keep myself fit?"

That was a very good question. Neji was no slob; he had a nicely toned body, and although he was slimmer than most, the cuts of his muscles did convey he took part in some type of athletics. Sasuke had never thought it would be a sport like tennis, though.

"Tennis seems so..."

"So what?" Neji inquired, raising his own brow and folding his arms across his chest.

"So...simple," and the comment made the older male give a "you think so?" look in response. "I mean, all you're doing is hitting a ball back and forth to each other right? I wouldn't think a sport like that would give the results you have."

"Are you complimenting me, Sasuke?"

The Uchiha's breath hitched, and his cheeks took on a slight shade of pink as the other male stared at him expectantly. "I mean...you do have a nice body for a fact, so..." he paused, thinking of a way to save himself from this awkward situation, "it's not really a com- pliment?"

Neji let out a laugh at the younger male's hesitance, standing up and taking both of their plates off the table before walking into the kitchen. "You're funny," the brunette stated, raking the remains on the plates into the trash can and placing the dishes into the sink. "And for your information, tennis is not easy. It's a lot more to it than you possibly think."

"Yeah, right," a dismissive Sasuke placed his hands behind his head and leaned back in the chair. "Like I said, you're hitting a ball back and forth to each other. How hard can that be?"

 

 

**xxx**

Very hard was the answer Sasuke received as his heart pounded heavily in his chest, his body sweated profusely, and his breath came rapidly from his opened mouth. Only forty minutes into their outing, and the raven haired male was ready to go home, shower, and sleep for two seasons now. The sun was at its highest peak for the afternoon, and it's beam burned into Sasuke's pale skin as he stood hunched over on the court.

"You alright over there?" the long haired male yelled across the playing field, bouncing a ball on top of his racket.

"I'm...I'm fine," the raven panted, letting out a heavy breath and standing up.

"Not as easy as you thought, huh?"

The raven swatted his hand, placing both on his hips as he paced back and forth. Tennis was proving to be a pain in the ass. No wonder Naruto wouldn't go play with his boyfriend whenever he asked. Sasuke couldn't manage to get one return to Neji. The ball would go out of bounds, he'd hit it in a downward position to where it caught in the net, or too hard where it flew over the gate. Well how could he have been so tired if there was no back and forth?

Him missing. Neji was a serving machine on the court and had the raven running frantically across his side of the court trying to send it back to him. Forty five minutes of this, and while he felt like he was about to collapse on the hot green surface, the brunette didn't even break a sweat.

"You ready for another round?"

Sasuke stood up, shaking his limbs and moving his head side to side stretching his neck. "I got this; lets go."

"Alrighttt," Neji tossed the ball on his racket into the air and gave a good swing; the ball went flying towards the Uchiha who anticipated it, set on sending this one back to his long haired friend. When the ball was almost to him, he swung at it hoping he hadn't used too little or too much force. Following through with his swing, the ball floated through the air and to his surprise, it got over the net yet was low enough to not go over the fence, and it was in bounds!

Sasuke let out a huge "hell yeah!" throwing his arms in the air from his success, but he forgot one thing...

His celebrating was soon cut short as a tennis ball shot towards him at wind breaking speed, and the hot object made contact right between his eyes. The raven instantly blacked out; his body fell helplessly onto the tennis court, the racket dropped from his hand, and the wind was knocked out of him from the impact. Yeah, he had forgotten that one thing: Neji was a pro and to go toe-to-toe with him? You had to be on your "A" game.

Swirling patterns and twinkling dots was all Sasuke saw at the moment. He felt his body whisk through a timeless void, and his subconcious mind had confirmed with him that yeah, he was completely out of it. The abstract images continued throughout his vision until he heard a voice calling his name and felt warm clammy hands on each of his cheeks.

"Sasuke? Sasuke are you okay?" the voice continued to call him, and as he slowly opened his eyes, a blurred vision of the older male became apparent.

"Neji?" his voice was raspy, continuing to open his eyes with the blur clearing up.

Neji had Sasuke's head placed in his lap as he looked down at him. His long tendrils shielded the younger male from the sunlight as it surrounded the both of them. His pearl irises were panicked, and his bottom lip was pulled in between his teeth looking at the recovering male. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hit it that hard."

With his eyes still barely open, Sasuke smiled, even though the space between his eyes was throbbing and his head had a slight pain forming. "It's alright. I should have been paying attention."

The older male grinned at the man whose head he was holding onto, rubbing his thumbs in circular motions on his temples to ease his headache. "At least you can say you sent one back, right?"

"Heh, yeah," Sasuke flinched from the pain of his nose, and he hissed. "Damn, did you really have to bean me like that?"

"Hey, you should have been paying attention, remember?" Neji retorted, causing Sasuke to roll his eyes at which he flinched again from the jolt of pain.

"Whatever, you're a pro at this- I'm not. You could have given somebody a heads up."

"Will you quit whining? You're the one who said this was going to be easy."

"Yeah yeah," the raven dismissed him, averting shimmering white irises as he began to blush. This was embarrassing; he had talked all the smack up until they got on the court, yet he was the one laid out across the field?

As the cocoa tresses swayed with the breeze that blew by, Sasuke noticed how lustrous the rich chocolate hairs were; they reminded of him of silk sheets, and he brought his hand up to rake his fingers through the thick mane.

"I see why Naruto loves your hair," he stated as the tendrils slipped through his fingers like liquid with its silky texture. "It's beautiful."

Neji thanked him, giving a small smile as he continued to play with hair. "I literally buy the whole shelf of conditioner when I go to the store. It's gotten to the point where I can just call in and ask that they have the entire shipment with my name on it."

"Shit, that much?" he looked back at the male above him, still pulling his fingers through hair.

"Um, do you see how much hair is on top of my head? I don't have a little cropped top like you do," the brunette moved one hand from the side of Sasuke's face to ruffle his hair, giving him a smirk.

As he continued to peer at his friend, he noticed a small hole underneath his lips. Taking the fingers from his hair, he pointed to it, asking Neji where it had came from.

"I got a lip ring back in freshman year," the older male relayed, earning an arch of an ebony eyebrow. "Don't give me that look. I wanted to try something different; I mean, it was a new school year, I was a new man, and was coming into a new crowd, so why not?"

The raven haired male shrugged his shoulders. "Makes sense," he agreed, moving his eyes from the hole in Neji's face back to his eyes. Something started to feel different with Sasuke as he laid on Neji's lap; he felt himself become captivated by the male, especially with how close they were at that moment. He began to notice little things he didn't recognize during their time in high school together.

He never realized just how flawless Neji's skin was, and it was only enhanced by the sunlight glowing around his lithe frame. There was a chip on one of his teeth, possibly from the lip ring which is why he would have taken it out. A deep scar was stretched along the side of his neck, and from the look of it, it had to have been there for years. Why hadn't he noticed that back when they spent time in classes?

"Sasuke, are you zoning out again?" Neji asked the younger male who was staring almost blankly at him.

"No...no," he stated, lifting his head up and pulling himself to a sitting position. "I was just...yeah, maybe I was zoning out."

The older male chuckled, standing up and putting a hand out for the raven to take. "I think we've had enough for today, don't you?"

Sasuke nodded, taking the hand and standing up. They picked up the equipment from the court and looked around to gather the tennis balls Sasuke had sent all over the place. Managing to find a good three-fourths of them to put in the mesh bag, the two males left their playing field heading in the direction of the apartments.

The walk was a silent one, besides Neji asking if he was okay or if he needed to stop to rest which he would decline. As they continued to walk, Sasuke looked over at the older male from his peripheral, once again feeling himself become entranced by the man next to him.  _There's so much that I already know about him,_ he thought to himself looking away as those silver eyes met his with a smile.  _Yet now, I find myself wanting to know more..._

//End of Chapter One.


	4. Chapter 4

  
**All's Fair in Love and Basketball  
** **Chapter 2:**   _There's Always an Underlying Cause for Everything..._  


"I'm going to need you all to put your hands together for the home team, the Konoha Heat!" the announcer called loudly over the intercom. Saturday had gotten here, and the start of the season had officially begun. The players jogged out of the locker room, waving their hands to the crowd of people cheering them on. Pompoms rustled as the cheerleaders shook them and whistles along with thundering stomps echoed in the space. The team was pumped, ready for another fantastic season like the previous, totally prepared to dominate.

A group of people chanted Naruto's name as he reached the benches, and the clique of fangirls to the left of him squealed as they swooned over him waving at them. The attention went to Sasuke as well when he caught up with the blonde male, placing his hand towel on the back of his chair before taking a seat.

"Six months, and we're still getting a shit load of love," Naruto stated, turning towards the court with his hands on his hips.

"Yep," the Uchiha coincided, standing up next to his best friend and looking over the playing space. "You ready to do this again?" the raven asked, putting his balled fist out to the side.

"Heh, you know it!" the blonde responded, giving his teammate a pound before hustling onto his team's side of the court.

A call of Sasuke's name got him to turn towards the crowd before he could join Naruto; when he did, he was met with the gleaming white eyes and big smile of Neji Hyuga. He moved a little closer to the bleachers with an equally as big grin marking his features.

"Hope you have a good game. You're not too sore from yesterday, are you?" the Hyuga shouted over the noisy attendees of the game.

"Hell yeah, I'm sore," the younger male replied, "but I can work through the pain."

Neji chuckled, and looked to the home side of the court still wearing his smile and began waving his hand. When Sasuke turned in the direction of his friend's stare, he noticed a large tan hand belonging to the man with sun colored hair and a goofy grin waving back.

_Naruto,_ Sasuke thought as his eyes met with sea blue ones, and he was signaled over. He trotted to the court still looking at his blonde friend. The man was placing his fingertips to his lips, which he kissed and blew in Neji's direction. It made his stomach churn, and he shifted his eyes to the left to avert the scene. It was still bothering him- Naruto's overbearing affection towards his boyfriend- and although he didn't understand why completely since that's what couple did anyways, it was still rather hard to ignore.

The team gathered in a circle formation, placing their arms around each other's neck in the huddle. "Alright guys," the coach with a green shirt with orange trimmings, bushy eyebrows, and the god awful bowl cut began go talk to his players. "This is the first game of the season; we've been doing good during practices, and this team is pretty below us. Go out there and show them what you got. Naruto, Sasuke?" he looked to the blonde and raven males standing next to each other, "You two are the starters, and we're counting on you to lead the team to victory, yeah?"

The two nodded in agreement, hands went in the center, and a big "Heat!" was yelled once Coach Guy counted to three. The current players positioned themselves in their respective places on the court, and Naruto looked to his best friend on the other side of him with a smirk.

"Ready?"

"Lets go."

**xxx**

The final score of the game was 96 to 72 with the Konoha Heat taking the first game. "Great way to start the season," Coach Guy greeted his players as they walked to the bench. It was a lot of breaths floating through the air with rapidly raising chests from the guys just coming off the court.

Sasuke walked a little slower than most. His poor calves were screaming from the consistent running, and the ache in his arms was acute from his shooting which made up a third of the points. The pain wasn't all from basketball, of course; it was that Neji and that damn tennis match he had put him through the day before. He sat down in one of the chairs to catch is breath, holding his head down and wincing a little from the jolt of pain in his shoulder.

"Good game, chump!" the excited blonde male slapped his shoulder earning a loud hiss from the Uchiha.

"Fuck, Naruto! My shoulder is hurting!" the raven shouted, and Naruto stepped back with his hands in the air.

"Oh, sorry dude. Wouldn't think a little shooting would mess you up like that?"

Sasuke inhaled, bringing a hand to his shoulder and applying pressure to the pulsing joint. "It wasn't basketball; it was the outing I had to endure with your boyfriend, because you skipped out on us."

"He took you to play tennis, huh?" the blonde asked getting a nod of the head. "Funny, wouldn't expect such a weak sport like tennis to do any serious damage."

_I thought that too..._ he recalled, leaning his back against the chair with his hand still on his shoulder. "Anyways, what were you up to that you flaked?"

"Kiba needed me to play wingman for him. You know how he's butthurt he doesn't have anybody, right? So I told him I would help him out."

"You would help HIM out?" Sasuke's eyebrow arched, figuring the blonde had some ulterior motives swimming about that empty head of his.

"Yes, jackass," Naruto barked, letting out a heavy sigh. "Don't start the interrogation shit with me, man."

"Whatever," the raven disregarded his friend, standing up and heading in the direction of the locker room.

Naruto watched as his best friend strolled along, and the sudden crash of a firm hand on his shoulder broke his attention away from the raven haired male.

"Bro, game was awesome!" Kiba exclaimed, giving the tall blonde a high five.

"Yes! You know we come to perform."

"I feel like we all did play a good game, even though you and Sasuke were starting," Shino interjected, giving a less enthusiastic high five to Naruto.

Kiba rubbed his hands together creating a heated friction from his dry, calloused hands scrubbing together, and he grinned. "Now I wonder where the party is going to be-"

"Naruto?" a higher pitched voice than Naruto, Shino, or Kiba's became apparent. Looking behind them from where the call of his name came from, the guys met the petite frame of the dance team captain. Her shoulder length, brown locks were pulled into a ponytail at the back of her head, and her caramel colored eyes shined under the fluorescent lighting. Her revealing dance uniform showed off her well toned abdomen, her nice sized chest, and long tanned legs that were visible from wearing high cut shorts.

Kiba's eyes were bucked open, and his mouth hung open as the attractive woman walked towards them. Noticing, Naruto elbowed his star struck friend in the arm, snapping him from his lustful gaze to collect himself.

"Hi, Tenten. What brings you over here?"

The female stopped directly in front of Naruto, giving him a sexy smirk before taking his hand into her own. "Well," she spoke softly, and her voice sounded like a purr to the men, especially Kiba who wanted nothing more than to howl at the woman. "Since it's the first game of the season, and you all did such a wonderful job, I wanted to invite you to the party I'm throwing at my sorority house tonight. Especially you, Mr. Hotshot."

Her delicate fingers rubbing into his palms made Naruto's hand begin to sweat, and the closeness of her body in front of his made his brow become taut.  _Fuck me, she is sexy,_ the blonde gave her a look over, meeting those deep caramel irises that had a hint a spice in them. "I don't know; I kind of had plans tonight-"

"Pleaseee?" she shook her chest in a slow manner, and all eyes were to her cleavage threatening to slip from the top of her spandex top.

"Naruto," Kiba whispered as he continued to gawk at the dance captain, "this is Tenten...TENTEN; she's the most popular girl in the school, and we'd be crazy not to go to her and her sister's party!"

"Well?" she questioned the male, giving him the slightest of smiles bringing his hand closer to her.

The blonde looked at Shino whose expression was unreadable from those damn specs and to Kiba who had his hands clasped in front of his chest with a serious pout on his face. That man was so desperate for some ass, Naruto could only shake his head in pity.

"Sure, we'll be there," he answered her, and she gave a giggle to the response.

"Wonderful," she dropped his hand, turning around to walk back to her team members. "We'll see you guys at ten thirty." Tenten winked at the men with a little wave of her hand before she started walking. Her hips switched from side to side in her stride, and the three males subtly licked their lips watching her perfectly shaped ass move in those skin tight short.

"YES!" the messy haired brunette howled as they walked to the locker room. "We are getting it in tonight!"

"I don't know who this 'we' is that you're talking about, because if I can recall, you have no game." Shino was always the buzzkill when it came to Kiba's romantic life; the two had known each other a couple years less than Naruto and Sasuke, and their relationship seemed to share a lot of similarities with the blonde and raven males: Shino being the stoic one with some sense, and Kiba being the blubbering idiot.

Kiba glared at the spiky haired male, sticking a middle finger up to him and facing back forward. "What time you plan on leaving, Naruto?" he asked the blonde male who was in between them.

"Oh shit, I forgot I was supposed to be going somewhere with Neji." His mind went to his perfect boyfriend of the past few months, and he looked around the gym to see if he was still there. Seeing no sign of the long haired male, his mind went to the only person who would possibly take his spot on the outing.

Sasuke was walking out of the locker room freshened and changed into casual clothing with his mind set on finishing that stupid project with his incompetent group mates. He was flagged down by his best friend charging towards him, and he dreaded what he could possibly want with how quickly he was closing in on him.

"What is it now, Naruto?" he asked when the male reached him and placed a hand on his shoulder that had been relaxed by the hot shower.

"There's a party tonight at a sorority house, and the dance team captain wants me to come."

"And?" the raven frowned, really unsure of what the hell the dobe was going to be asking him to do next.

"I need you to go out with Neji tonight."

"What?!"

"Please?" the blonde asked, shaking the shoulder underneath his hand slightly. "She really wants me to come; I mean, it's only natural for the most popular guy on the basketball team to be expected for a guest appearance."

"Yeah, a popular basketball player who doesn't already have plans with his boyfriend," Sasuke removed the shoulder from his hand, pulling his shoulder strap higher on his joint as it was slipping. "You know, someone like myself?"

"But you don't do party scenes!"

"Okay...so take Neji with you," the raven suggested, and Naruto gave a smack of his lips to that.

"He doesn't do fucking party scenes either! Come on!" the blonde begged to which Sasuke shifted his eyes.

"I'm not doing this often," the aloof male declared, and his blonde friend hugged him tightly as a "Thank you".

"Don't worry; it's only for tonight, then I'll go back to being Neji's knight in shining armor," and Naruto gave that same goofy grin that made Sasuke shrug him off his shoulder, annoyed, and walk out of the gym.

Meeting the brisk air of a November night, Sasuke zipped up the light jacket he was wearing to his lips and placed his hands in his pocket to journey to his apartment. People gathered outside the entryway to the gymnasium, and along the way, Sasuke was stopped by several game attendees, cheerleaders, and adoring fans telling him how great of a game he played and giving good wishes for the rest of the season. He thanked everyone he came in contact with a sincere smile and continued through the thinning crowd as he walked further away from the establishment.

He began to feel uncomfortable feeling a presence creeping up behind him underneath the dark sky. Paranoia took place of calmness, and he whipped his head back to meet the slim figure of his friend.

"Oh, it's you, Neji."

"You know I've been walking behind you this entire time calling your name?" the pearl eyed male relayed, tying his tresses that were being blown in his face by the breeze into a low ponytail. "I guess since everyone was calling you left and right, you couldn't hear me, huh?"

Sasuke put a hand in his hair to scratch at his scalp and gave a weak chuckle. "I guess not. Apologies."

"It's cool. I was trying to tell you good game, and wanted to ask if you had seen Naruto." Neji took his fingers from his head after restraining all the strands and crossed his arms. "I've been looking for him, but have had no luck. We were supposed to go get food."

Sasuke debated whether or not he should tell Neji that Naruto was going to a party. Of course, Neji probably wouldn't have minded, because, like Naruto stated earlier, he wasn't into the party scene. But being that Sasuke didn't know how the Hyuga would react to plans being broken with him again for the second day in a row made him reluctant. That, and the fact that he knew Naruto's old habits when they would go partying? He really didn't want to give his friend any doubt or worry when it came to his loser roommate.

"Have you seen him?" the older male asked again, startling Sasuke from his mental argument over the matter.

"No, I haven't," he lied, looking away from the male in front of him, "but if you want, I could go with you? I'm actually pretty hungry myself."

"Oh," Neji brow rose, and he shrugged. "Sure, I wouldn't mind that at all."

**xxx**

It was a fifteen minute drive to a local pizzeria near the college campus. Neji had a serious craving for the dough covered in tomato sauce and a generous helping of cheese. Although there were several of the university's cafes that served the appetizing dish, the long haired male wanted something a little more authentic to satisfy him.

The two took their seats in a booth once inside the restaurant and looked over the menu at the ample amount of choices from style to flavors of crusts, cheeses, and toppings. Neji began to salivate, swallowing the liquid pooling in his mouth from the enticing details. "God, I have been dreaming about this pizza for the longest."

"How often have you been here?" Sasuke asked, putting the menu back on the rack on the table and leaning back in the booth.

"Pretty often," the long haired male answered still looking over the laminated card. "I used to frequent here when the college pizza took a nosedive in quality." He placed the menu on the table, closing his eyes and licking his lips thinking about his impending meal. "It's something about the amber grease oozing out of cheese and the golden tone of it being perfectly toasted that makes my stomach jump for joy. Unfortunately, the school's pizza lacks both."

"You know, I almost forgot how much you loved pizza back in high school," the younger of the two recalled, remembering the days when he and Neji had lunch together; the brunette ALWAYS had a slice of pizza on his plate, even if it was with accompanied by other entrees. "I'm surprised you're not tired of it."

"Please, as long as the shit doesn't look like it came in contact with a bottle of powder? How could I ever get tired?"

The raven haired male closed his eyes and shook his head, letting a simple "Hn" slip between his lips. The waiter that would be tending to them came over, taking their drink orders and asking if they knew what type of pizza they wanted. When Sasuke was about to give a separate order, Neji beat him to it putting in a request for a medium cheese pizza with tomato slices on top. The funny thing about it- that's exactly what Sasuke was going to order, only with two individual slices.

As the waiter walked away after dropping their drinks off, Sasuke eyed the brunette male who was putting a straw into his cup of ice cold water, taking a sip from the drink. The older male flinched as the chilled liquid hit his teeth, and when he grimaced, the raven couldn't help but snicker.

"So you think that's funny, huh?" Neji snapped at him, glaring at him playfully before looking towards the television behind the younger male.

"It was rather cute, maybe."

"There is nothing cute about brain freeze, Sasuke," the brunette stated, still looking at the television and earning a smirk from the friend in front of him.

"Sure..." the raven paused, thinking about the order Neji had placed for them a few minutes ago. "Hey, since when do you eat a cheese pizza with only tomatoes on it?"

The older man looked at onyx irises as the question pulled his attention from the scoreboards of a hockey game. "Well, I know that's what you always had in high school, and since I'm pretty open to eating any type of pizza, I guess I just decided to go with what you might want."

_He remembered that about me?_ Sasuke continued to gaze at the man across from him who had begun to stare at the screen again. Looking at the softened features of Neji's face as he looked at the television, the raven felt a warming feeling come into his body.  _Here this shit is again,_  he groaned causing Neji to look at him with a questioning look.

"It's nothing," he answered before a question was asked, and the brunette gave a small smile tuning back into the show.  _I really don't know what's going on with me, but I'm not sure if I like either..._

The waiter had returned to them with a tin tray in his hand holding the pizza. And just like Neji had stated, the entree resting on top of the tin looked absolutely delicious. The brunette took his half of the pizza and placed the slices on a plate their waiter had brought to them. With a knife and fork in hand, the older male cut away at a slice; the cheese stretched from his plate to his mouth as he took the piece in. He let out a satisfied murmur from the heavenly taste upon his tongue and hummed as he chewed.

"This is so damn good," he praised, taking another bite. Sasuke had put a pretty big dent in his own half of the tray telling Neji the pizza at school sure wasn't going to compare now.

After both of them finished a decent portion of their halves of the shared entree, they sat back reveling in the taste of salt, tomatoes, and bread in their mouths. Sasuke took a long draw of his water before placing the cup a little harder than expected and letting out a heavy sigh. "Well, that was much need. Hunger equals fulfilled."

Neji gave a "Mhm" in agreement, drinking from his own cup and shaking a few cubes of ice into his mouth. "I thought Naruto might have liked this place, but seeing as he was busy, I guess I'll just find out another time."

Sasuke's mind wandered to his friend who had ditched his partner for a party. He wondered what the idiot could be doing right now, whether it be drinking or boasting, and then his mind went elsewhere. He knew Tenten, and what type of girl she was, and although she wasn't a slut, she was no push over either. At a previous party the season before, she had tried to use her good looks and charm to push up on the raven haired male, and he had almost fell for it. There was no denying that she was a very attractive female, but he most definitely knew Naruto had a weak will when it came to women. Especially when it was coming to this one playing the game; Naruto was basically going to become a pussy whipped lap dog if she got to him.

He dismissed his last thought, trying to have a little more faith in his friend, but honestly thinking about the man currently sitting across from him. He still questioned how Neji and Naruto had gotten along well enough to make it this long in a relationship, seeing as he the blonde put a minimal amount of work into anything that he had done. With how Neji carried himself and his mindset on various issues, the raven seriously wondered just how in the hell the brunette had managed to deal with Naruto's antics unless he really had changed...or Neji just had no idea.

"Why are you with Naruto?" he found himself asking as the words slips subconsciously from his mouth during his thinking.

"Huh?" Neji was caught off guard by the sudden question; Sasuke's eyes grew wide, and he began to think of another way to rephrase that awfully forward question that had an undertone of botheration to it.

"I meant, how is your relationship with Naruto? I mean, you two seem like you have nothing in common, but you've lasted this long in what looks like a serious relationship."

"Oh," Neji looked to the side bringing a hand behind his neck to massage it. "Naruto is a great guy. I mean, he's not too bright school wise, and he is a bit of a jock, but something about his personality makes you want to be around him. I'm pretty sure you've experienced that being his best friend."

Sasuke completely understood. That raspy voice, goofy grin, and that outgoing personality really did make his best friend enjoyable. That's probably the one thing that kept their friendship together over the years; the raven haired male had his moments of being the vibrant and enthusiastic one, but with Naruto, it was twenty four seven; it grew to be a refreshing thing to have around on a daily basis, especially when life seemed like shit.

"That's what I thought," the younger concurred, looking to the TV on the behind Neji showing the latest episode of a sitcom.

"Yeah, but it was really something else," the brunette continued making Sasuke look at him with an arched brow.

"What's that?"

Neji brought his hands in front of him and clasped them together on the table. He twiddled his thumbs, forming the sentences of his explanation before he spoke again. "It seems like, every date Naruto and I have gone on has been something I put on my bucket list to do. It's odd; even though we had never spoken before in our lifetime, it feels like he knows me more than anyone else."

Sasuke's eyes enlarged again looking his contemplative friend.  _So, it's really..._ he began to reason, thinking about Neji's words. He felt his heart's pace quicken, and the warmth of his body grew to a burn as he continued to think. "That's the reason why you've stayed with him?"

"It's a huge part of why. Honestly like you said, upfront Naruto and I have very little in common; I mean, he wouldn't even go play tennis with me saying it wasn't a 'real' sport," he brought four finger up into the air and curled them when he said "real" rolling his eyes. "I admit, the overbearing jock side of him pisses me off, but that one little detail kind of makes me feel like it's one of those 'win-lose' situations with him."

The raven haired male was completely stumped by the situation. So all his work was what was really keeping Neji and Naruto together? The suggestions of where to take Neji from his conversations with him two and a half years ago was acting as glue? That burning feeling brewing within Sasuke's body became searing; if he didn't look at his skin, he would have sworn he was beet red by now. His heart began to thump, and his hands began to sweat as his bottom lip quivered looking at the other male.

_What the fuck is wrong with me?!_  He questioned himself, mentally noting his awkward disposition at this point. The raven didn't even clearly finish a thought before blurting out "You haven't had sex with him, right?" he quickly pressed his lips into a firm line as Neji's shocked expression relayed he was taken aback by the question.

The brunette blinked his bright white eyes a couple times with his mouth slightly opened. "N-no?" he stuttered, "I'm...waiting on that."

_Get yourself together, Sasuke!_ The younger male pep talked himself, inhaling sharply and letting out a deep sigh of relief. "Sorry...I don't know where that came from."

He was lying. Knowing Naruto, Sasuke had been curious as to whether or not as to whether the couple had shared that experience with each other yet. Again, he didn't understand why he even cared so much about their relationship. It was supposed to be between the two after all, right?

"It's okay," Neji's features relaxed again; a brow was still raised from curiosity of Sasuke's unexpected question.

"If it's anything, I enjoyed playing tennis with you yesterday," the raven stated in a desperate attempt to change the subject. "I know I wasn't that good, but if you want, you can have a solid playing partner in me? Well, I'm willing to go with you on a regular basis."

"Really? You liked it that much?" the brunette asked surprisingly.

"Yeah, I know I was being an ass saying it wouldn't be hard, but honestly it was a great workout, and I'll admit I had a pretty fun time with you." Sasuke gave Neji a grin and received one back from the other male. "Oh, and I have to get back at you for this," he added, pointing to the purplish bruise in the middle of his eyes.

The older male chuckled, apologizing again, but Sasuke assured him it was no biggie. "Well great, I would love to spend more time with you."

"Hn," the raven responded, leaning back onto the thick padded back of the booth.  _You don't know how much I would love to spend more time with you as well..._

/End of Chapter 2.

  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, the Konoha Heat are not a reference to the Miami Heat that just recently won the championship series. I don't keep up with basketball. I don't watch basketball. Hell, I don't even LIKE basketball, but the name made since since they are the "Land of Fire". That is all.
> 
> Hope you're enjoying the story so far!


	5. Chapter 5

**All's Fair in Love and Basketball  
** **Chapter Three:** _Trying New Things Most Times Lead to Rewarding Experiences..._

 _The present has no living;_  
Your gift keeps on giving.  
What is this I'm feeling?  
If you wanna leave, I'm ready.  
  
We've come too far to give up who we are;  
So let's raise the bar and our cups to the stars.

_\- “Get Lucky” Daft Punk feat. Pharrell_

The next two weeks led to two more blow out games for the guys. The season was going flawlessly so far, and the teammates had celebrated their wins well into the next week after each victory. It was a constant party for Konohagakure's basketball team, and everyone indulged in the debauchery that came along with college functions, especially Naruto. The blonde haired male soaked up every bit of attention he was getting from women all over campus; he basked in all it's lascivious glory, particularly when it came to her- the captain of the dance team.

Over the past three weeks, Naruto and Tenten began to spend a little more quality time with each other; his basketball practice was around the same time of day as her dance practice, and since they shared the same space, the two generally would leave together gathering suspicions from their respective teams. Both declined any accusations of a romance sparking between them, but the mindless flirting they displayed openly around others allowed for doubtful minds.

While he continued to lose most of his time to the arousing female, Sasuke found himself spending more of his with his roommate’s partner's. He managed to get personal tennis lessons from the older male who acknowledged and praised his vast improvement in such a short period. Mouth watering meals found themselves on his plates five times out of the week; the other two days were spent at outside eateries as the two made it a mission to visit different places on a quest to try a variety of cuisines. And when Sasuke wasn't swamped with schoolwork or occupied with basketball practice, the two friends would stay in: watching movies, playing videogames, or just simply conversing about whatever crossed their minds at the moment.

In the course of the past weeks, the raven haired male came to enjoy the fact that Naruto seemed to be gone most of the time. It gave him the chance to truly reconnect with his good friend, and the urge he felt to know more about the alluring silver eyed male was being met. Captivated wasn't the exact word to describe Sasuke's stance when it came to his feelings for Neji. Absorbed was more like it, in which all of the raven's time and effort was put into his thriving relationship with the male; he actually liked it being that way feeling as though he was rekindling a friendship he had highly valued back in high school.

It had been a beautiful day that afternoon. The sun was radiating the grasses beneath it with an unusual warmth for it to be December. The cool breeze of the autumn wind whisked through the tall trees; the remains of November's orange and yellow leaves fell gracefully from their branches to rest on the ground beneath them. Children were running about the playground; some engaged in a game of tag while others enjoyed the structures specifically built for play. The gleeful shrills sounded across the expanse and put light feel into the air.

The raven and brunette males strolled along in a leisurely walk through Konoha National Park. They passed a few couples along the way- those who journeyed the trail hand in hand and others who went along in a light jog. Dogs were being walked; their tongues hung from their opened mouths as they panted from the exercise.

It had truly been peaceful, and Sasuke would stop in his steps when Neji, who made an “ahh” sound, found interesting scenes or objects to photograph. The raven knew how the older male loved photography, and once he checked the weather for the day beforehand, he thought to bring his friend out there. It brought a light smirk to Sasuke's lips watching as Neji carefully brought the camera to his face and focused on the object of his shot. He made a sort of twisted expression where he scrunched his eyebrows and stuck the tip of his tongue out the left side of his mouth mumbling as the lens locked on the target.

The wind swept his long tresses back, separating several clumped strands as they blew away from the Hyuga's body. The air was crisp, and it carried the subtle scent of Brazilian orchids and coconut with it, probably from the shampoo Neji used. Everything about the sight of the brunette was enchanting. And as Sasuke stood there with his hands in his jean pockets continuing to stare at the male snapping photos, a hint of enthrallment flashed within his onyx eyes. He had become completely and entirely smitten by Neji.

**xxx**

After leaving the park and driving back to the college campus, the two friends made a short walk to Sage's Expresso- a quaint little coffee shop about seven minutes away from Sasuke's place. The “ding” of the bell above the entry door signaled the coming and going of customers, and at each sound, the cashier would greet a guest with a big “Welcome to Sage's Expresso! Have a cup of joe?” The line was so corny that most times the employees would get a vacant stare or snicker from the person before placing their order.

The joint was decorated rather nicely; it had a modern look with the walls painted different shades of brown to symbolize the numerous types of coffee they had to offer. There were a couple abstract paintings on the walls of distorted coffee mugs, bags, and persons who engaged with each other in the coffee shop scenes. Neji took a liking to the place, having a keen eye when it came to art analysis and an undying appreciation for the craft.

“I feel like I spend all my time in here,” he spoke, taking in the scenery and taking a big whiff of the aromas of freshly brewing coffee.

“It is pretty nice,” Sasuke agreed, walking to an open bistro table for him and his friend to sit at. He asked the older male if he wanted anything which he nodded to, and the Uchiha went away to the counter. He returned with two mocha lattes, placing Neji's cup in front of him and received a “thank you” as he took his seat. The raven took a sip from the steaming cup of liquid, singing a little tune of approval as the heated liquid coaxed his throat. He looked over the rim of his mug as he finished his sip, peering at the brunette who was currently going through his camera.

“I got some really great shots,” Neji beamed, clicking the next button and reviewing each photo thoroughly before moving on.

“Why didn't you decide to go to school for photography?” the raven asked, placing his cup on the circular table top and propping his elbows up. “You obviously have a passion for it, and from what I've seen, you do pretty great work.”

“How could you know I have a 'passion' for it?” the brunette inquired, looking up from the small screen to the man across from him. “Just because I take pictures doesn't mean I'm a photographer, you know?”

Sasuke held his head down for a bit, giving a smirk before looking up again. “Well,” he started speaking, formulating his response, “I couldn't help but notice how concentrated you were when shooting today. That cute little habit of sticking your tongue out with every shot kind of gave away how focused and in tune you were with your subject.” Neji tried hard to bite back his smile. So someone had finally noticed that stupid custom he cursed himself for? Curse that attentive Sasuke Uchiha.

“And whenever you would find something you felt was worth shooting, your eyes would light up, and I could see the smallest glint of mirth spark within those stunning pearls of yours.”

A tingling sensation struck every nerve in Neji's body making him twitch just a bit. It made him wonder: was Sasuke really paying THAT much attention to him?

“I didn't know you were looking at me like that,” the Hyuga gazed at him bewildered which made the younger let out a low titter.

“I wanted to know the man behind the camera, so I paid attention,” that answer was only partially true. Since the first tennis match they played weeks ago, Sasuke sought to familiarize himself with every little detail about Neji. It wasn't an intentional plan, but as time went on and he began to realize there was so much he overlooked when it came to the brunette, he decided to fix that problem.

As Neji took a couple gulps from his own cup and went back to his scrolling of pictures, Sasuke took notice of the scar on his neck when shorter hairs were pushed behind his ear.

“Where did that come from?” he asked unexpectedly of the Hyuga who gave a “huh?” in response being caught off guard; he really had to stop doing that.

“Where did that...” Sasuke paused, lifting himself out of the chair and placing his index finger to the scar, dragging the pad of his fingertip along the marred skin gently.

Neji shivered from the contact, and placed a hand around his neck, unknowingly holding Sasuke's finger in place on the scar. “I...got into an altercation with my father three years ago.”

“An altercation?”

“Ye-yeah,” Neji stuttered, dropping his hand which made Sasuke do the same as he sat back in his seat. From the sudden change in the older male's demeanor, the raven could tell he had struck a cord. He cursed his curiosity, feeling as those he had just stuck his foot in his mouth.

The younger bit his bottom lip looking at the sullen look on Neji's face, and he continued to kick himself mentally for bringing the topic up. For sure that couldn't have been the “I fell while I was walking” type accident; the cut was entirely too deep and in a perfect curve towards the middle of his throat.

“You don't have to talk about-”

“No,” Neji interrupted him, giving a weak smile as he met worried onyx irises, “it's fine; I'm over it. While in my senior year of high school, I began to go through an identity crisis; I had just started noticing that, maybe, I wasn't like most my age in the fact that...well, I liked men.”

Sasuke listened intently to Neji's revelation of how he came out to his father, and the traumatizing experience he had after that. “So when I told him, he lashed out on me, saying all kinds of derogatory words and slurs, and pulled a knife out saying that, hey- he couldn't have a homosexual son; it was disgraceful.”

“How did you manage to make it out of that?” the raven felt himself become weighted down by remorse for asking that damn question. Like seriously, he was going to have to work on this blurting out inquiries without thinking shit; most definitely if the stories were going to be like this one.

Neji let out an audible breath, looking into his cup of foamy liquid. “I had to slide from in-front of him since I was backed against a wall. In the process, I ended up getting this cut and a chop of some of my hair; that's why the pieces in the front are shorter. They never seemed to grow back.” He gave a light chuckle at the irony; how in the world could he have such long hair yet it seemed like the front never increased in length after that accident?

The younger male sat their looking somewhat mortified. He couldn't even fathom going through something like that, and he could only feel sympathy waving over him for the other.

“I'm sorry you had to go through that.”

Neji shook his head, heavily sighing and grinning at Sasuke. “It's no problem. Like I said, I've gotten over it. My father apologized to me last year for what he did; turns out he had a similar problem back when he was in school, and his father struck him as well. He told me he didn't want me to go through what he did and admitted he went about it the wrong way.”

He ran his fingers along the edge of the mug, reminiscing on the visit his father had given him to discuss his wrong doings. “I will say, it took me a while to want to do anything after that, especially dating. That event plus every guy who approached me assuming I was a girl completely turned me off. I just didn't understand why all the dumbasses flocked to me? Like damn, you're that caught up in looks you don't recognize I have a fucking Adam's apple?”

Sasuke burst into laughter at the tone of frustration in Neji's voice. Naruto was the first person that came to mind from Neji's rhetorical questions. He then wondered how the idiots who hit on the abnormally beautiful male gracing him currently reacted when he shot them down. Maybe they backed off like normal people would do...but then again, there were people like Naruto: stupid, naïve, and absolutely ridiculous when it came to thinking.

The telling of his friend's past caused Sasuke to conjugate a thought. He wanted to do something nice for the Hyuga, even though he had put his interest upfront in their outing earlier. He smiled to himself which made the man across from him raise a brow. “What are you so happy about? Didn't I just scare the shit out of you with my story? I mean, I could have lost me life-”

“What are you doing tonight?”

Neji's breath hitched and his eyes flickered with concern at the sudden question from his friend. “Nothing in particular, why?”

"I would like to take you out,” Sasuke smirked, placing a finger on the back of the brunette's hand resting on the table and began moving the digit in slow swirling patterns.

Neji stared into the deep obsidian eyes of the Uchiha male. The look in his eyes was a confident one, arrogant almost, and the heated glance made Neji gulp. He swallowed the saliva pooling in his mouth, and the hand Sasuke stroked flirtatiously jerked. "Is this a-"

"You can call it that if you want," the suave raven replied, stopping the circling and placing his hand atop his friend's.

Watching the expression of Neji's face go from concerned to flattered excited Sasuke. _Good, he's not going to decline._

The older male felt his cheeks warm. This man was really starting to get to him with all his unpredictable questions and actions, and Neji didn't know if he found it bothersome or attractive. His mind was racing with all sorts of unanswered questions when he felt fingers of the hand on top of his cup around his palm.

"I'll be by at nine. Wear something casual, okay?" the raven grinned at the brunette who was heating up from being alarmed by the sudden come on.

“Sh...sure.”

Sasuke removed his hand from Neji’s to pick up his mug and take a last sip of his coffee. He rose from his seat, reaching into his back pocket and placing a tip on the table. Stretching his stiffened limbs out, he turned to the blushing Hyuga still confused.

“Wait, where are we going?” Neji asked, falling out of his trance.

“You'll see later,” Sasuke winked receiving a raised brow and nod of the head from the Hyuga. He told the long haired male he bid him adieu and proceeded towards the exit of the coffee shop. Pushing the door open with a chime of the bell signaling his retreat, Sasuke pulled his phone out of his pocket to examine the time.

“T minus six hours,” he stated, putting the phone back into his pocket and turned for his home. This was going to be an interesting night, and the Uchiha found himself pretty anxious to see how it would unfold.

xxx

Sasuke arrived in front of Neji's dorm at exactly nine o' clock. He stepped out of his brand new black Lexus IS, a graduation present from his older brother Itachi, dressed in dark blue denim jeans, a navy blue and white striped shirt, a navy blue blazer, and his new leather combat style boots. He sported a dark grey scarf around his neck to keep from getting kissed bitterly by the chill of December wind. His shoulder length locks were still a little damp from his shower, and since he tousled through them, he had a shaggy look going on.

He pulled out his phone to send a text to Neji that he was outside. Looking in the tinted window, he examined his reflection, fixing any imperfection he spotted in the dark glass. He turned back to the dormitory, and within three minutes, he saw the tall lean figure of his date; the older male was wearing a red cardigan with a white trim, a white V-neck, khakis, and boat shoes. The jacket he had over his ensemble hid the beautiful brunette locks that were tied back in a sleek ponytail; he was also sporting a pair of thin framed glasses on his nose which made his white eyes shine even more when they met light.

 _Damn, does he look good,_ Sasuke stated giving the other male a look over.

Neji waved to the raven with a smile, and Sasuke returned the gesture as he opened the passenger side door. Neji gracefully slid into the seat, commending the raven for being a "perfect gentleman" to which they both shared a laugh. With a close of the passenger door, Sasuke returned to the driver's side of his car and slipped in.

"You look really nice," Neji complimented the younger male as he clicked his seat belt.

"You look even nicer," Sasuke grinned causing a rose blush to creep onto the older male's cheeks.

"Well thank you,” he smiled, looking around the nice car of fine leather black seats and red and white lighting on the radio and space above the steering wheel. “So you want to tell me where we're going now?"

"Club Sannin,” the raven answered adjusting his mirrors. “It's a pretty upscale club. They have pretty live entertainment, and the people it attracts are kinda cool. You feel like dancing tonight?"

Neji went straight face to the question. He was a horrible dancer; his hips seemed to lock when he tried to sway, and his rhythm? God was he an offbeat person. For his senior prom, he stood against the wall most of the night next to the punch bowl so girls wouldn't ask him on the floor; he wanted to save himself embarrassment and ridicule of other students which he had accomplished rather effortlessly.

Sasuke, observing Neji's reluctance to answer, just took his hand. "We'll have fun, I promise," he said bringing the hand up and planting a kiss on top of the flesh, causing Neji's blush to redden furiously. There was something completely different about this Sasuke Uchiha today; the brunette haired male felt it, and Sasuke wasn't oblivious to the exuding confidence either. It seemed as though the tides were changing, and while both males didn't know how to take it, the act intrigued them enough to want more.

**xxx**

After a twenty minute car ride across the town, they had reached the club. Sasuke exited the car, opened the door for Neji to depart, and handed his keys to the valet attendant waiting outside. He held Neji with one arm around his waist and whispered "this way" huskily in his ear. Neji quivered at the seduction of the tone, making the older male wonder if he was playing with him just to get a reaction.

Once inside the club, Neji was taken aback at how nice it was. It had a contemporary style with pop art pieces decorating the walls; the furniture was more geometric with splashes of color popping everywhere, and again- for the second time today- the brunette's aesthetic eye was impressed.

“This place is REALLY nice,” he admired, walking to one of the portraits and analyzing the detail.

“I'm glad you like it,” the raven walked up behind him. "My friend is the owner of this place. We've been good friends since middle school, and my father actually gave him the loan to start it up."

“I can really appreciate an establishment that takes time to pay attention to cohesiveness when decorating. It's the artist in me.”

“Hn,” Sasuke responded, turning towards the crowd of people. The bar sat in the middle of the space, and the glass shelves glowed an assortment of colors as it changed frequently. Neither Neji nor Sasuke partook in the consumption of alcohol, but the raven felt like doing something spontaneous with the night.

“Lets take a shot.”

“Huh?” Neji turned towards his date with large eyes. “But we don't drink...”

“I understand that,” he took the brunette's hand into his own, bringing it up to his lips and speaking against the soft skin, “but shouldn't we at least try tonight? Just so we can say we did it together?”

Neji didn't have a chance to answer as he was pulled to the bar. They each took a seat on the stools, and Sasuke waved the bartender down asking her to give them a shot of something. Of course, since neither of them drank before, the bartender's question of “what would you like?” went unanswered by the two, and she only smiled at them. She brought back two short glasses, filling them with a crystal clear liquid and advised them to just take it back in one gulp. They took their glasses, clinked them together, and swallowed the searing liquid as she instructed. Grimaces were expressed as Neji blinked rapidly with puckered lips, and Sasuke made a choking sound from the harsh taste on his tongue.

“God, that was awful!” the brunette puffed out air in an attempt to cool off his throat.

The raven continued to hawk as his body began to radiate. “Shit, you would think she'd give us something a little less strong being newbs.”

“I'll say,” Neji removed his jacket and glasses, placing them on the counter top. It was getting rather warm in the club as the music played, and people danced wildly in the place. Bodies were packed heavily on the dance floor, and the provocative dancing some engaged in was alarming to the Hyuga.

“What made you want to bring me here in the first place?” he asked his friend who had stripped himself of his scarf and blazer, leaving the striped crew neck clinging to his built upper body.

“Well-” Sasuke was interrupted when the DJ introduced the entertainment for tonight. The band was called “The GM Experiment”, and Neji's eyes sparkled with his mouth forming an “O” shape at the name being announced.

“This is my favorite band!” he shouted, and Sasuke laughed at how cute the Hyuga looked from excitement. “I've never gotten a chance to see them live, and this club is so quaint, I don't have to deal with an enormous amount of rabid fans!”

“Do you want to get closer?”

“Hell yeah, I do!”

The two abandoned their seats at the bar, and Sasuke asked the waitress to hold onto their articles of clothing which she agreed to. They maneuvered through the crowd of people onto the floor in front of the stage where people shouted and whistled as the drummer tapped his sticks together. The bass of his drum was felt down to the very depths of every occupant's soul, and when the guitarist began to play his notes along with the keyboarder, everybody couldn't keep themselves from dancing.

It became humid as sweating bodies moved together, jumping along with the beat or against another person. Neji and Sasuke stood in the middle of all the commotion around them, nodding their heads, and the brunette did a little jig.

“You want to dance?” the younger asked his friend who shifted his eyes to him.

"I told you. I don't know how to dance," Neji reiterated, closing his eyes and continuing his movements.

“Uhhuh,” Sasuke took it upon himself to move behind the other male and pressed his body flush against him. Neji stiffened in his spot and looked back at the man smirking at him with his hands placed on his hips. "Just move your hips to the rhythm, and follow me," Sasuke instructed as he began to sway.

A burn grew in Neji's core, and as he continued to stare at raven haired male pressed so intimately against his back side, he felt his hips move on their own accord. Sasuke guided Neji’s hips as he moved from side to side, and true to his word, the Hyuga had a difficult time at first getting on beat; it was even more so now that he was beginning to notice he was a little tipsy.

"Close your eyes and feel the music," Sasuke whispered into his ear becoming even more patient with the male as he felt himself wave over with that lifted feeling of alcohol. It sucked to be a lightweight, but it was only expected since this wasn't an often thing for him. Neji complied, and after a good minute of listening to the music, he found he was in tune with the tempo.

"Good,” the raven commented him, “now find a rhythm with me."

Neji slowed his pace for a second and turned his attention off the music and onto the gorgeous man behind him. The two guys finally got a rhythm with each other with the swaying coming easier as Neji found the median between the beat of the song and the speed of Sasuke's hips.

The brunette still had his eyes closed, and he moved his arm behind Sasuke's neck, leaning his head back onto his broad shoulder. The younger tilted forward, meeting his nose in the space of Neji's exposed neck. He nuzzled the soft skin, taking in the sweet scent evaporating off the flesh that filled his nostrils.

"You smell really good, Neji" Sasuke stated; his lips touched the others neck ever so slightly with every word.

"It's called 'Euphoria'," Neji replied with his eyes still closed. "It's my favorite."

 _Euphoria, huh,_ Sasuke was amused at the irony of the situation. He drug his lips along Neji's neck, inhaling his scent. Absorbed then didn't amount to how he felt when it came to his best friend's boyfriend; intoxicated by this man he was dancing with was more like it. In the heat of the moment, Sasuke placed a small kiss upon Neji's neck trailing his lips upward to touch the outer shell of an ear; the act elicited a soft moan from the man in front of him.

"What's wrong?" he breathed hotly in the brunette's ear.

"Ma-my neck is very sensitive," was the statement that encouraged a mischievously smirking Sasuke to go back and repeatedly kiss the same spot that gave him the first moan. Neji began melt in Sasuke's arms as he felt teeth nipping at his sensitive skin and a warm tongue steal along the short welts created.

He lost himself to the sensations taking over his body from the joy of seeing his favorite band, the alcohol scorching his stomach, and the delicate press of the raven male's lips to his flesh; he began to grind his pert ass against Sasuke's groin, tightening his arm around the raven's neck encouraging him to nip and suck a little harder.

Sasuke held Neji's hips firmly as he ground back against the older male, pulling his body into him more. "Your ass is amazing," the raven told Neji who only groaned at the smooth, baritone voice ringing in his ears. "I don't know how much more of this I can take."

Shocked by the tempting undertone of Sasuke’s words, Neji opened his eyes and abruptly pulled himself off the raven haired male. "I'm sorry. I got lost in the lyrics and the rhythm and your word-"

Sauke took Neji by the arm, pulling him back against his body so their chest met. He released his grip on the brunette's arm and slid his slender fingers down to lace with the other man's. He placed his forehead against the older male's, and their noses gently touched. He could feel Neji's breath hovering over his top lip- warm, fast, and smelling of liquor, although it came off a bit sweet.

"You know, you don't have to be sorry," Sasuke reassured his date. "I kind of like being this close with you."

Neji relaxed hearing the other's soothing words. He closed his eyes, tightened his grip on Sasuke's hands, and found the rhythm to sway his hips in tune with the music and the man in front of him once again.

“You know, I am still dating your best friend right?”

The raven smirked with a shrug of his shoulders, holding onto the brunette male a little harder. “We're just dancing, right? No harm in that.”

“Heh, I guess you're right.”

 **-The Next Morning-**  

Neji's pearl eyes fluttered open as he woke up. He nuzzled his nose into the pillow he had been resting on and let out a huge yawn in the cotton fibers. He could barely see around the room as his hair covered majority of his face, obscuring his vision that was already off from hardly being awake. He pushed himself up on his elbows, shaking his head, blinking his lids, and opening them again hoping for clearer sight.

When he looked up, he took in the several posters of indie bands that littered the white walls. He thought nothing of it at first, until he looked to the black covers that were covering his naked frame, save the boxers that still rested on his hips. He blinked owlishly, a little confused as to why his room had been completely altered.

Then it hit him as the breath of another form tickled the hairs on his arm. He looked forward; his eyes grew wide, and his breath completely stopped. He turned to the right of him, and sure enough there was a certain someone next to him. Raven tendrils fell in his face lifelessly; his plump lips were parted as he snored lightly, and his ivory skin was illuminated by the invading sunlight...his BARE skin.

Neji inhaled sharply, holding his breath piecing together that they were in the same room, sharing the same bed, STRIPPED of their clothes.

 _No, no no no no,_ Neji was in denial as he slipped from under the covers and gathered his clothes off the desk across the room. _Nothing could have happened, right?_

He didn't give himself a chance to think as he pulled on his shirt and khakis, picking the rest of his belongings up into his arms, and exited the room, quietly enough not to wake the sleeping raven. After clicking the door shut, he moved to the couch, putting his shoes on and raking a hand through his tangled locks. He stood up smoothing some of the wrinkles from his clothes, and as he walked to the door, the knob turned on its own, and the white board pushed open.

The man on the other side of the frame made Neji's nerves become frazzled. It was Naruto, looking like he was just coming home for the night at eight thirty in the morning. The blonde was shocked to see his boyfriend up so early and, even more so, in his apartment by himself.

“Neji, what are you doing here?” the taller male asked the nervous brunette.

“Oh, I went out with Sasuke last night and ended up crashing here.”

“Really? Where'd ya'll go?” Naruto questioned, pulling himself into the apartment and closing the door behind him.

“An indie concert. It was pretty great; wish you could have gone with us,” the older male threw that last line in there to keep skepticism from coming to mind. He wasn't even for sure himself of what had happened after the concert, besides the fact that he had talked to the band obviously from the autographed album that was on top of his clothes.

“Oh, okay. Sounds cool,” the blonde put his keys on the table and moved in front of his boyfriend, wrapping his arms around his small waist and pulled him close to him. “You know, I've really missed you lately,” he placed his nose in the crook of his neck, kissing him.

Neji flinched as Naruto's lips touched him in that spot; the same place Sasuke had abused the night before as they danced. “I've...missed you, too,” he stuttered, feeling his knees tremor as Naruto began to suck on his neck. “Whe-where have you been anyway?”

“Occupied with the basketball team,” the younger began to walk to the couch, pushing the man in his arm's backwards in his steps. He continued to suck on the patch of skin in between his teeth, and Neji couldn't stop the shuddering moans from escaping his throat.

They both fell onto the couch behind Neji, and Naruto slid his fingers down his boyfriend's sides and underneath his loose shirt to trace along contoured abs. “I just love your body, Neji,” the blonde spoke, blowing streams of air to the moistened skin. “Don't you think it's about that time?”

“Na-naruto,” Neji stammered; his back arched with a pinch of his nipple, “Is-isn't too early for all this?”

“Not in my mind,” he continued to tease his boyfriend, hoping for him to submit so he could finally get the chance to relish him.

The older male felt himself wavering underneath Naruto's strong, aggressive hands having their way with him. His eyes were closed, and his breath came out in light pants as the will to keep fighting began to diminish. Damn, all this sexual attention was beginning to eat away at him.

The two men on the couch were interrupted with a creak of an opening door, and a groggy raven haired male stepped through. He rubbed his eyes of sleep and stretched before pondering on the sight of his best friend and his boyfriend in a...compromising position. He paused, looking at Neji and then to Naruto, with a frown and furrowed brows forming on his face. “Am I interrupting something?” he asked, sounding a little more peeved than he would have hoped.

“No!” Neji bellowed out, pulling his shirt down and softly pushing the tan skinned male off of him. “I was actually just leaving, so yeah: I'll see you two later, right?” the brunette hurriedly left the apartment with a bright red staining his fair skin not even waiting for a response.

The raven and blonde looked at the door that had just been closed and back to each other; each pair of eyes narrowed intensely in the direction of the other.

“What the fuck do you think you're doing?” Naruto growled, glaring at the stoic male across the way from him.

“What in the hell are you talking about?”

“You took him out last night without telling me?”

Sasuke scoffed, rolling his eyes, and giving that asshole smirk of his. “Before you try getting on my case, may I ask where the fuck have you been all night long? Or should I have asked WHO have you been fucking with?”

The blonde's jaw clenched, and he removed himself off the couch walking to his room door. Naruto retreated without a word, but the harsh close of his door communicated everything Sasuke needed to know about the situation, and he “hn”ed.

_Yeah, that's what I thought..._

//End Chapter 3.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello limes!

  
**All's Fair in Love and Basketball  
** **Chapter 4:** _The Difference Between Sex and Intimacy..._   


The buzzer honked loudly, and both teams stopped their running. Each retreated from the glossy wooden floor, going to the benches to have a seat and cool off. It was half time, and the cheerleaders took center stage, performing routines of chants and stunts they had practiced over the weeks.

On Konoha's side, Naruto sat leaned back in his chair with his hands in his lap, twiddling his thumbs. The usually jovial blonde had a mug on his face meaner than an agitated pit bull. His raven haired best friend sat in the seat next to him; he was also reclined and had his arms folded across his chest with wrinkled brow marring his features.

The game hadn't been going so well; everyone seemed to be having an off night, probably because it was being held on a Thursday. Having one less practice during the week, accompanied by all the partying they did when they should have been resting up was proving to do a little more harm than expected.

The home side was rather quiet, save the chattering amongst those trying to decipher why their boys were falling only a few steps ahead of the other team. It's not like the Sunagakure Bobcats were out of their league, especially since their shooter was much shorter than the average player with his short, red locks and smoldering sea green eyes. Maybe the contrast of his features against his creamy white skin was so luring that when anyone came towards him in an attempt to stop him, they would just get entranced. Who knew...

The cheerleaders cartwheeled and chanted off the courts, and the obnoxiously loud announcer called for the dance team to take their place. The thin girls rushed onto the floor, dressed in their scantly clad uniforms of red sports bras and spanx with yellow and orange swirling patterns for fire dawning them. The tempo of the music was upbeat, and as the women began to dance, the crowd became a little more pumped.

Naruto smirked at the team captain, studying every curve of her body as it moved to the beat of the music. Every roll she did with her upper body, and every shake of her perfect ass made the male unintentionally lick his lips. She caught a glimpse of him gazing at her, and gave him a wink with a subtle smile before turning back to the crowd. He brought his hands behind his head, stretching his long body out as he felt a twitch in his groin. He wanted her...BADLY, and if her willful teasing wasn't enticing enough, that sexy tanned body of hers sure was.

Sasuke looked at his best friend from his peripheral and back to the captain still moving about gracefully on the floor. He already knew what was going on between the two individuals; the signs were there, and even if everyone wanted to play the oblivious card because they were told otherwise by the two in question, he for damn sure wasn't buying it.  _Pussy whipped lap dog_  was the term that kept playing in his mind as he shook his head, realizing his friend was sinking ship and fast.

"Tenten sure does look good out there," the raven acclaimed, holding his tongue waiting for an expected response from his friend.

Naruto inhaled and exhaled heavily; his eyes were still focused on the petite body of his new muse, and his eyes flashed with adulterated lust. "Shit, tell me about it."

Sasuke noted the blonde's disposition. He was tensed, but not in way of being aggravated or annoyed by anything; it was the heavy sexual tension thickening between the male and that woman as he watched her. "So are you going to tell me what's been going on between you two?"

"I already told you, nothing-"

"Cut the bullshit, Naruto," the raven's words stole the blonde's attention from the woman, and his bright blue eyes narrowed into deep onyx.

"What are you getting at, Sasuk e?" he asked defensively, clenching his jawline as that damn smirk of his best friend crawled into his features.

"I know you, and you know that I do, so I want you to cut the crap, and tell me what the deal is," Sasuke was upfront with his assumptions. There was no need to sugarcoat or be cautious with anything at this point; they were best friends, right?

"In order to have something to tell, something had to happen, right?" the blonde snapped back, turning his attention back to the female. "Don't start the questioning shit. I'm really not in the mood for it."

"Well how about you just think about the guy you so desperately wanted me to hook you up with seven and a half months ago. You know, the one you've been ditching to go hang out with your hoe?"

Naruto shot Sasuke a glare so intense the raven found it amusing he had gotten to him. He struck a chord; he knew it, but truth of the matter was: he didn't give a shit. It was the truth; the blonde had been putting his boyfriend on the back burner for this girl, and what had happened in the process? Sasuke had to play the fill in. Although he loved the closeness he and Neji had gained from it, it still pissed him off, because honestly: what was Naruto's purpose for holding on to him or getting so defensive whenever he decided to so something for Neji of his own will?

"Neji and I have a great relationship," the blonde was clearly in denial, or if he wasn't, maybe he was just trying to entertain himself and the raven both. "He's still infatuated with me as I am him, and we see plenty of each other. Just because I have a life outside of my relationship doesn't mean I have to be fucking up, ass."

Sasuke tapped his foot against one of the legs of his chair. This idiot was seriously delusional. Great relationship? Could he even possibly think they still had the slightest bit of a serious relationship going on?

"If you have such a great relationship, what's up with you asking me to play stand in while you go out and do WHATEVER it is you are?"

"Cause you're my best friend, and I would expect that you could handle a simple task without being so damn suspicious and doubtful," the blonde explained; his brows rose, and his mug became even more sinister. "So how about you back off my fucking case now, and focus on the game?"

The honking of the buzzer sounded again signaling the end of the halftime period just as the dance team had finished, and the crowd clapped. Tenten was sitting in a pose on the floor, panting with a big smile, and one of her members with shoulder length bubblegum hair and glittering emerald irises reached down to help her up. As the guys stood up from their seats to take the court again, the caramel eyed captain ran past Naruto, brushing her perky breast across his arm as she turned back to look at him with a smirk.

The act didn't go unnoticed by the Uchiha who once again shook his head at his best friend; the blonde wasn't even trying to be the least bit subtle watching her walk away with those tight shorts cupping her ass.  _You're the one who needs to get your damn head in the game..._

**xxx**

It was a close game with the Konoha Heat pulling a win by a slim six point lead. Leaving out of the locker room after freshening up, Naruto walked through the gymnasium. He went up the bleachers to the top floor, spotting the male of his affection- his boyfriend, Neji. The blonde walked up behind the older male, placing his head on his shoulder and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek interrupting his conversation with friends.

"How are you doing tonight, sexy," Naruto's raspy voice floated into the Hyuga's ears, and white was looking at him from the corners of the male's eyes.

"Hi Naruto," Neji's tone was dry, unforgiving, and sent a iciness crawling down the blonde's spine.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he asked, picking his head up and allowing the brunette male whose long tendrils swished behind him to turn towards him. "I haven't really spent any time with you, and was thinking maybe you and I could get a little...reacquainted tonight?" he grinned, running a tan finger along Neji's pale cheek.

Just like his tone, the older male's gaze was just as harsh, unforgiving, and sent a bone shattering chill coursing through his body. "You don't get to fucking diss me for a month, and then think you can come back when you want looking for any type of ass."

Neji glared at the man who stood there completely and utterly stumped. There was nothing he could say back to that; he had honestly missed his boyfriend over the past month and wanted to enjoy his company, or so he thought?

"Come on, Neji, we haven't seen much of each other at all lately," the blonde stuck out his bottom lip, reaching for one of Neji's hands to pull into his own.

The silver eyed male looked to Naruto and to his hand with a glint of irritation flaring in those beautiful irises. "I suggest you go get even more 'acquainted' with your basketball flunkies since they're that damn important," the Hyuga snatched his hand back, telling his friends he would catch up with them later before turning on his heels and walking away.

Naruto felt his body begin to burn from his nerves being ticked. First Sasuke was on his ass about his whereabouts and now Neji was acting like some stuck up bitch? He was convinced he was going to just go home for the night, and wallow in self pity from being dissed by his boyfriend. He really wasn't in the mood to deal with anyone or anything, especially not-

"Nah-Roo-Toe!" Kiba called to the blonde, wearing a big grin as he walked towards him. "There's something going on tonight. Not too much of a party, but you know there will be music, alcohol, and chicks...lots and lots of chicks so..."

Naruto let out a heavy sigh and looked towards the male still wearing his dark rec specs. He wondered if that guy ever took those things off, but he assumed it just added on to his mysteriousness. Obviously the women had no issue with it, because unlike Kiba, Shino always bagged somebody, though he kept it to casual dating and friendships.

"So you down, man?"

"Yeah," the blonde answered, "I could use an outing right now.

"Alright! Lets go!"

**xxx**

The party was being held at a frat house where only the jocks, brothers, sisters, and utmost popular kids would gather. Yeah some Greeks would allow the common student with little to no rank come through, but not this one. They held classy parties where expensive liquor was popped and only the most update music was played. Dancing wasn't so much of a thing, as the females loved to just have guys gawk and holler at them for being dressed sexily, leaving NOTHING to imagination.

The trio filed into the house lit with a black light; white apparel glowed a vibrant purple, and it was really hard to make out who was there if you knew anybody.

Shino had relayed he was going to the kitchen for a drink, while Kiba had began his quest for the night to even just talk to a woman. Something about the messy haired male just repelled any female attention. He was a klutz; he was kind of an obnoxious idiot, but he was loyal and wasn't lacking in the looks department at all.

Naruto didn't bother himself thinking about Kiba and his issues of getting anyone. He sat on an empty couch in the back of the house, kind of away from everyone yet still the party space since his t-shirt was currently colored.

"Naruto?" a sweet voice called him, and he looked up to see the dance team captain herself in front of him.

"Hey Tenten; what's up?"

"Ah! It is you," she exclaimed, taking a seat next to him. "I wasn't sure if that was you or not. I guess even under a black light, those golden locks of yours still stand out." She giggled at her statement as she ruffled his hair, and he returned a chuckle himself. "I'm surprised to see you here. Not most people knew they were holding a function tonight."

"Well you know Kiba, he's always got a heads up on these things."

Tenten made an "ahh" face remembering the fang marked male. "Poor thing, is he still having trouble finding someone?"

The fact that even Tenten, a junior and the most well known chick in school knew about Kiba's unluckiness with women was embarrassing. Naruto didn't know how to feel for his friend after that, but he nodded to the questioning woman who shook her head.

"I'm going to hook him up with Sakura; she's cute, fun, and the girl herself is having a little drama in that department," the barely visible woman put the cup in her hands to her lips to take a sip of her drink. Seeing Naruto had nothing himself, she offered the cup to him which he took thankfully and downed the entire thing.

"Shit, that was strong," he winced, sliding his tongue around his mouth to kind of null the taste.

"Yeah, I can hold my liquor pretty well. It takes a lot to get me even just tipsy; guess it comes from being a sorority sister."

Naruto nodded his head listening to Tenten talk about her sorority and the different parties she had come to. He found the woman's voice to be very seductive to where even if she just talked to him about nothing, he still wanted nothing more than to ravish her mouth. He wanted that sweet tone to fill the air around them as they connected, and he wanted to drink it in while pleasuring her to new heights.

His eyes roamed her body that he could still see under the black light. With the way he studied her frame at the previous game still burning in his mind, just like she said about his hair, he could still make out every curve of her womanly physique to which he licked his lips. He felt his pants grow tighter examining her, listening to her, thinking about her being underneath his hands, his lips, and ultimately his own body. He unexpectedly leaned into her, and she stopped talking for a second being caught off guard by the sudden change in proximity.

"You know anywhere we could got that's more...private?" he asked her haughty, earning a a curve of her lips and an arch of her brow.

"Yep," was her only answer as she stood up, taking his hand into her own and pulled him through the mass of people in the house. They walked up the steps of the frat house to the last room of the upper floor. The lighting was back to white, but it was dimmed as the brother's of the house didn't want to throw off the ambiance of downstairs.

They pushed into the room of Tenten's good friend. Naruto stepped in and admired the walls covered in baseball posters, pictures of the big eyed, bowl cut haired male with his family, and various medals he had most likely won from the sport.

"Wow, this guy is pretty good as base-"

The blonde was silenced when the brunette haired woman tackled him to the bed. She pressed her breast into his chest as she crushed her lips onto his. He was startled by her forward motion, but he quickly let go of the emotion placing his hands upon her skin. She was so soft, so supple, and Naruto's masculine hands gripped at every inch of her.

He was completely swallowed in by this woman as she open her mouth for her tongue to invade his hot cavern. He obliged and allowed her entry for their tongues to battle against one another. The kiss was hot. The kiss was hungry, and their appetite for each other was only expressed more as she tore his jacket off his built upper body, only breaking the kiss for a second to pull the shirt over his head.

Naruto sat up with her straddling him and pulled her own shirt off. He broke the kiss, taking a moment to skim over her with hazy eyes and he smirked, zeroing in on her cleavage. He began to press his lips into her neck, earning wanton moans in response as he trailed downward, fumbling with the hook of her bra.

Tenten reached up, freeing her shoulder length hair from it's tie and shaking the tendrils to lay down against her head. He flipped her onto her back and hovered over her small frame as he lapped at her; the taste of her shimmering strawberry body lotion on his tongue only made him crave her more.

He freed her ample bosom from their binds, and as they bounced after being released, he took one into his mouth- suckling harshly and rolling her free bud between his index finger and thumb. There was that sound he had lusted for downstairs; the sound of her shrills rang in his ears, and it only encouraged him to continue.

He wanted to hear her. He wanted to taste her. He wanted to feel her, and as she made all those noises he wanted her too, he was done for. He HAD to have her.

**xxx**

It was a cool night with a light breeze, and the sound of loud screams floated softly, muffled as they carried with the wind. Bright lights flashed underneath a dark sky as Sasuke and Neji walked away from the multicultural fair. Each male was wearing a thick peacoat to keep their bodies warm as the wind only grew colder from the speeds of rides.

Neji was devouring the thick bush of cotton candy on a paper cone while Sasuke bit into a freshly made candy apple. It had been a great night of shared laughs, shrills, and tears of the air assaulting their eyes on certain attractions.

"This is some good cotton candy," Neji picked a piece off the stick and placed it into his mouth. His moistened tongue on the fluff made it melt before he could get it off his finger, and he stuck the digit in his mouth to clean the red bits off.

"This candy apple is pretty bomb, too," Sasuke bit into the hardened candy, and the crispness of the apple made a sort of "crunch" sound.

The two walked alongside each other, enjoying their preferred sweet treat as they came to a pier near the park. Neji propped his elbows on the wooden rail, peering over the rippling mass of water reflecting the twinkling stars and crescent shape of the moon that had been out. Sasuke had his back rested against the rail, looking up into the dark abyss above them engulfing the sky.

The brunette male asked his friend if he had wanted some of his treat which he said "yes" to. The older male placed the stick of fluff against the other's lips and a few strands of the cotton candy tickled his nose. He wriggled it earning a giggle from the other male as he took a bite, and the sugary goodness dissolved on his tongue once wet.

"That really is some good cotton candy," he agreed, licking his lips as Neji pulled the fluff back to his mouth.

"Told you."

The raven and brunette continued to eat, but Sasuke felt something had been wrong with the other male. He had been vocal with him, yes, but of course he could always pinpoint when something was wrong with the Hyuga. Those brilliant white eyes couldn't hide anything from him, but he had been holding his tongue the entire time to keep the air between them light.

"Is something bothering you, Neji?" he asked, taking another bite from his candy apple.

Neji took another mouthful of cotton candy, swishing it around in his mouth and smacking his lips. "Naruto is really bothering me," he started explaining, making a fist and resting his chin on top of it. "I just don't understand how he would seriously think I would have sex with him, and I have barely seen him over the past month. Basketball players my ass..."

"Basketball players?" Sasuke questioned, curious as to what the brunette was talking about.

"Yeah, his excuse of where he's been this entire time was 'I was with the guys, doing basketball things' or something along those lines."

Sasuke's face went blank. Surely he didn't think that lame excuse was going to work. Weren't they on the SAME team? Playing equally as important positions, and yet, the raven haired male seemed to ALWAYS be with Neji?

The younger was stole away from his thoughts as Neji continued. "I'm beginning to feel like this was all a set up or something...like I was being played with, and now I'm being thrown on you."

That statement made Sasuke's heart jump. He didn't want Neji to think that at all; he really wasn't just some toy to be played with and thrown away when bored. He held much more value than that, to Sasuke at least.

"And I'm beginning to feel that Naruto hasn't really been pulling the weight in our relationship. How can I seriously feel like I've been dating two entirely different people at the same time?"

The raven bit the last of his candy apple and threw the stick into a nearby trash can. He chewed the rest of the juicy apple that appealed to his taste buds slowly, savoring every last drop of it's goodness.

"Have you been planning my dates with Naruto?"

It was his turn to be caught of guard. That savoring was ruined by the sudden swallow of a half chewed piece of apple getting into his throat; he coughed viciously, holding his mouth shut keep the contents from spilling out as he did hope to finish them. "What...made you ask that?"

"Well," Neji gazed back out to the lake; the way the subtle stream of moon light reflected in his pearl irises showed just how concerned he was with the matter. "Naruto isn't that bright, and like I told you before, it felt as though Naruto had known who I was before we even started talking. It just didn't make sense...doesn't make sense, but the one thing that does is you."

He turned to the raven haired male who was swallowing his apple and clearing his throat from the previous slip up.

"You've been helping him this entire time, haven't you?" the brunette questioned him again, and Sasuke's averting eyes shifted to the right.

"I don't know what would give you that idea-"

"This," Neji stated, pointing to the part of the park holding the fair, the pier, and the cotton candy he loved that Sasuke had bought him. "Every last outing you haven't told me where we were going, yet when we got there, it was something I loved or wanted to do. The photography, the concert, this multicultural fair...it really has been you, hasn't it?"

_Shit,_  the raven muttered to himself. He was worried now; Neji had figured out the secret he and Naruto held, and now it felt like he was going to lose whatever he and Neji had over the past month to a lie.

"Neji, I-"

"Why?" he asked, not really wanting to know anything else outside of that one question.

Sasuke searched for a plausible answer for the other male who waited for him. He felt himself become swallowed in again by the man, and he still wasn't grasping just what it was he was truly feeling for Neji. He couldn't just give him any old answer since the Hyuga had just proven he was way too smart to get over on.

"I guess I wanted to help a friend out," Sasuke started, earning a puffy breath from the Hyuga who looked away from him. "Then I wanted to get to know you more. And then," the raven looked out into the lake himself, "I started putting your feelings in front of anyone else's."

Neji looked back to Sasuke curiously; he didn't know where the raven haired male was going with his explanation. At that point, the younger male was truly unreadable, and the slight smirk he wore only made the Hyuga question what was really going on.

"Heh, then I started putting my feelings in front of everyone else's, and well...here we are."

Sasuke looked at a puzzled Neji still holding his almost finished stick of cotton candy in his hands. Looking at the male with those bright white irises, flushed pale skin, and rich cocoa tresses caused the raven to give a genuine smile. He had come to terms with his feelings; he wanted to be with Neji.

"So you let me believe a lie just for your own feelings?" Neji asked.

"I let you believe a lie, because I guess I was living out a relationship with you through Naruto," the raven confessed. He couldn't help but chuckle from Neji's expression; it was the same from the night at the club: confused, flustered, and flattered with that lovely shade of pink tinting his cheeks. Sasuke adored the Hyuga when he was is in this state.

"Why are you just now telling me this? Wh-why would you have held on to information about me for two years?"

"Fear," Sasuke said bluntly, folding his arms across his chest and leaning back onto the wooden rail. "I guess I actually liked you back in high school. You were so fascinating back then, and while I just thought we had a great friendship, my feelings were spiraling out of control." He held his head down, smiling to himself. "I didn't acknowledge them because you were a year older, going off to college, and hey, what would it have looked like with two males dating in high school? Didn't think you were into that."

The Hyuga began to giggle, finishing the last little bit of cotton candy and throwing the stick in the trash. Sasuke was baffled as to why he would be giggling. Was that really funny to him? The little junior he had been tutoring ends up gaining feelings for his teacher? When he thought about it, it was funny. It was so damn predictable.

"It's funny," the brunette pulled a hand up to his marred neck, touching the imperfection, "that I got this back in high school, because I had just found out my attraction for men...the one man being you."

Sasuke was hit with a wave of different emotions. He didn't know whether to be delighted that his feelings were actually returned by the guy he had been crushing on, or remorseful because he had been hurt in the process. All doubt dwindled away when the raven felt a cold hand place itself on his cheek and guide his face to the brunette male who was smiling at him.

"I told you don't worry about it."

The younger male brought his own hand up to run his fingers along Neji's neck. The brunette flinched being that Sasuke's fingers where rather chilly, and that spot was extremely sensitive. Sasuke ran his fingertip back and forth along the line, pondering on the meaning it held. He stared at the old wound, somewhat zoning out, and he found himself speaking. "So, what now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Since we both know how we felt back then, and obviously it's still here now, why not be together?" he looked up to Neji's face, taking in glimmering white eyes and a slightly parted mouth.

"I am still dating your best friend," Neji stated, dropping his hand from the raven's cheek.

"Well you and I both know it hasn't really been him this whole time, so..." Neji's breath hitched as Sasuke drug his fingertip slowly along his neck. It was then that he realized this confidence the raven had been showing him over the past week was definitely attractive. His heart began to thump; he felt his knees become weak at Sasuke's touch. The younger male stood in front of him with those deep pooling onyx irises conveying everything that was going through his mind about the brunette: desire. It was happening to him, just as it had happened to the raven the week before. Neji had become smitten by Sasuke.

The astonished brunette stepped back, making Sasuke lose contact with his neck, and he looked towards the vibrant lights of the fair. "Maybe we should go back to your place," he suggested, giving the raven a sideways glance with a smile and walked in the direction of the parking lot.

Sasuke watched as Neji walked away; the wind played in his hair as he continued forward, and he wondered: was he really about to do this with the beautiful brunette? Even though he was technically still with his blonde best friend? The younger thought for a moment, taken away from his musing with a buzz of his phone. Pulling the device out his jacket pocket, he turned the screen on revealing a little envelope with the number one under it. He touched the envelope, opening his messages and saw he had gotten a text from Naruto.

_Dude, I just fucked up...badly._

He stared for a second, thinking, and after he read those five BIG words a couple times, he locked his phone, putting it back in his pocket and walking in the direction of the waiting brunette. It was settled: all of his fucks had went out the window, and he was going for it. He was going to have Neji regardless of his connection to his moron of a best friend. Period.

**xxx**

It was extremely quiet on the way back to the apartment. No words were exchanged between the two males as Sasuke opened the door to his room and stood aside for Neji to enter. He flicked the light switch up to coat the room in a filtered yellow, and shut the door behind him. Neji had taken off his jacket and placed it on the chair at Sasuke's desk, kicking his shoes off, and sat on the high bed.

Sasuke had removed his own jacket and shoes putting them in their respective places in his closet before closing the door and walking to his bed. He stood in front of the Hyuga, who looked at him with those stunning eyes and an undecipherable expression on his face. Still nothing was said as hooded onyx looked onto the male in front of him, and Sasuke placed his fingers in silky brunette locks, pulling through them and sweeping his hand under Neji's chin. He leaned forward, and softly placed his cold lips onto the others in a drawn out peck.

Neji didn't move, willingly accepted the kiss, and pushed his own lips back to Sasuke's. It was so tender, so sweet, so engaging that the raven haired male climbed on top of his bed, pushing Neji back onto the plush covers and hovered him. Pecks became opened mouth kisses as they both settled into a rhythm with each other, and Neji brought his arms around Sasuke's neck, pulling him into his body.

It was a heated friction created between their clothed bodies as they rubbed together, and Sasuke's knee in between Neji's thigh brushed up against his groin. The brunette moaned into the kiss, and the younger male swallowed it, wanting to take in every sound the man underneath him made. He put his fingers in the thick mane, stroking the soft hairs on Neji's head which encouraged even more gratifying sounds.

"So you like your hair played with?" Sasuke asked him, speaking into the kiss.

"Mmm-hm," the brunette moaned as the younger tugged at the strands in his clutch.

The raven smirked, going back to his kissing, sliding his tongue out to invade Neji's mouth. He was allowed entry, and hummed at the brunette tasting just as sweet as the cotton candy he had consumed earlier. Placing his free hand on Neji's side, he slipped his long digits under the shirt, ghosting his fingertips over the smooth skin. The older male shuddered, pulling back from the kiss and opened his mouth to let a breathy sigh escape. Sasuke gazed at him; the pale red coloring taking form in his creamy skin made the raven chuckle. He was loving the reaction he was getting from the older male as he gently and carefully explored his body.

Sasuke only wanted to continue his motive behind getting closer to the Hyuga in the first place: to know EVERY last detail about him. He pulled the shirt over Neji's head as well as his own, and looked over the other's toned upper body before giving him a quick peck on the lips. He moved down the brunette's chin and jaw, pressing his lips into every bit of his skin as he trailed along. He reached the scar on Neji's neck, took his finger and lightly touched the wound again making Neji jump slightly. He felt himself become attached to the one flaw of Neji's perfect body, and he delicately kissed it.

The scent of Neji's hair underneath his nose as he loved the scar took him to a new height. He was becoming high from his delectable smell, and his mind became clouded with nothing but the Hyuga himself. His hands roamed and caressed every inch of the brunette's slim body, and his lips latched onto that part of his neck, and he sucked. If it was put there because of him, he wanted everyone to know; that was going to be where he claimed him...marked him as his so no one else could have the gorgeous male.

Neji's moans got caught in the back of his throat from the powerful suction the raven held on his neck, and his body jerked with every brush of his fingertips against his skin. He was enthralled by the sexy man having his way with him, but it wasn't just physical; it was something much deeper than that. When Naruto had pushed up on him, it felt lewd, primal, and aggressive, but with Sasuke, it was intense and stimulating, yet passionate. The older male could feel every emotion the raven held for him with the thoroughness of his touch- hands and lips-, and he felt himself wanting more of him. Sure, he had a boyfriend who happened to be the man who was pleasuring him right now's best friend, but it didn't matter; at that moment, Naruto didn't compare. In the end, it was just like Sasuke said earlier: it had been him all along.

**-Friday Morning-**

This was the second time in a week Neji had awoken in Sasuke's room, except this morning, he wasn't panicked. He woke up feeling refreshed and light, stroking the hairs on the man's head who lay next to him. Sasuke had given him a wonderful night, and he reminisced on it's afterglow as he stared up at the ceiling. He knew he needed to get up and leave before his boyfriend possibly came barging in, but he didn't care. He wanted to bask in the moment, never wanting to leave his friend's side.

He pulled himself out of bed, however, putting on his clothes and turning back to the bed the male was sleeping in. He smiled sweetly at him, leaning over and placing a kiss to his lips before he exited. Neji closed the door softly behind him, and brushed the shorter strands of his hair behind his ear to get out of his face.

There was an open of the door next to Sasuke's room, and an alert Naruto stepped through; his eyes grew confused when he took notice of the other male.

"Neji? What are you doing here?" he asked the brunette who was buttoning up his jacket.

"I'm just leaving. I have a class to go to in about an hour," he reached in his pocket for his ponytail holder to tie his hair back since pushing it didn't work.

The blonde looked him over, noticing he looked a little disheveled probably from just waking up. Neji paid him no attention as he finished pulling his hair back and fumbled for keys. Then Naruto noticed it- the scar on Neji's neck that had a huge bruise around it. He stepped closer to the male, putting his hand on a smooth cheek and titled the other's head slightly to get a better look.

"Where did that come from?" he inquired, but Neji moved his head back and away from his touch.

"It's nothing," the brunette dismissed, looking down and jingling the keys in his hand for his dorm one. "I'll see you later, yeah?" he placed a quick kiss on Naruto's cheek and walked past him. The kiss was so fast that Naruto questioned if his boyfriend even fully pressed his lips to his skin.

Something was off, Naruto could feel it, and the bruised scar on Neji's neck would not stop popping up in his mind. He heard the door close, signaling the brunette had left, and he examined the living room. There were no pillows or blankets around; in fact, it looked like the space hadn't even been touched. He remembered coming home last night to an empty apartment, but then he established that Sasuke's car had been in the parking lot although his room light was off when Naruto entered.

The next thing Naruto thought about was the raven haired bastard, and his fist clenched at his side. He turned to the room next to him and forcefully pushed the door open; the knob on the back hit the wall threatening to dent it. An angry blonde walked over to his friend, who was currently face down in his pillow with his arm hanging off the side of his bed. He took his hand and placed it on the raven's shoulder, shaking him a little harder than expecting.

"What?" Sasuke asked muffled from his face being in the pillow.

"You mind telling me what the fuck Neji was doing coming out of your room?" Naruto's voice was low and gruff, yet calm as he tried to keep his cool.

"Obviously he was going home," the raven answered, picking his head up slightly from the pillow so he could be heard.

"Don't be a smartass right now."

"Heh," Sasuke chuckled, pulling his arm on the bed and picking himself up off the pillow, propping his elbows. "I'm not being a smartass, jerk. What do you want?"

The blonde glared at the Uchiha who was yawning and shaking the messy hairs on his head. Sasuke thought this was funny, but the other man standing over him with his arms folded tightly across his chest thought otherwise.

"What was that bruise on his neck?"

"I don't kno-"

"Cut the shit, Sasuke," Naruto barked back; his teeth were beginning to grit as he was seriously becoming pissed off by his best friend's humorless antics.

Sasuke looked into piercing blue irises with half opened onyx and his lips were straight. "How about you ask him where it came from? You know, since he is your boyfriend and all instead of asking me. But wait- you were too busy fucking Tenten last night."

The blonde's eyebrows rose and his lips pursed recalling the events of the last night he had with the dance team captain. "That was a mistake; am I not entitled to them?" the raven said "hn" in response. "But are you going to tell me what's going on between you and Neji?"

"To be able to tell something, something had to happen, right?"

Naruto crouched down to get eye level with the Uchiha who was still laid across his bed. There would be no more chord striking today; he was tired of this shit. "You better watch your fucking step, Uchiha. I'm still in a relationship with him; hell, it could have been you, but we both know Neji didn't even want you in the first place. He was your 'good' friend, right? "

The stare was a cold one. The stare was an unwavering one, and neither male was going to give in. Sasuke, sleep still settled in his lids, rolled his eyes and scoffed, turning his head away from his stupid friend giving him a thumbs up and mumbling "whatever".

Naruto stood back up, looking down on the male and letting out a "hn" before he exited, thinking he had won. On the contrary, Sasuke already knew what the real deal was and the asshole gesture that his blonde friend hated so much crept into his features as he heard the door close.

_That's why it was my name leaving his lips last night, right? Fucking loser..._

//End Chapter 4.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And let the showdown begin! (Not really, lol) This ended up being my favorite chapter; it is just so juicy, spicy, somewhat sweet, and oh, I just love conflict! How about you? Would love to know what you think :D


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